Maya 4 Basics

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS
VERSION 4
USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS

Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. Printed in U S A. All rights reserved. Maya 4 Documentation Team: Steven Brooks, Susan-Belle Ferguson, Lisa Ford, Claude Macri, Susan Park, Diane Ramey, and Linda Rose. The images in this book were created by: Daniel Siriste, Ben Radcliffe, and Kevin Mannens. Alias is a registered trademark and Alias|Wavefront, the Alias|Wavefront logo, Conductors, Dispatcher, Trax, Wavefront IPR, VizPaint2D, and ZaP!iT are trademarks of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. Maya is a registered trademark and Maya Artisan, Maya Builder, Maya Cloth, Maya Complete, Maya Fur, Maya F/X, Maya Invigorator, Maya Invigorator Lite Edition, Maya Live, Maya Paint Effects, Maya Real Time SDK,and Maya Unlimited are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., used exclusively by Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. IRIX and Silicon Graphics are registered trademarks and SGI is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Wacom is a trademark of Wacom Co., Ltd. NVidia is a registered trademark and Gforce is a trademark of NVidia Corporation. Inferno and Flame are registered trademarks of Discreet Logic Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. Microsoft, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Graph Layout Toolkit, 1992-1996 Tom Sawyer Software, Berkeley, California. All Rights Reserved. This document contains proprietary and condential information of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited, and is protected by Federal copyright law. The contents of this document may not be disclosed to third parties, translated, copied, or duplicated in any form, in whole or in part, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Neither Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited, its afliates, nor their directors, ofcers, employees, or agents are responsible for punitive or multiple damages or lost prots or other special, direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages including any damages resulting from loss of business arising out of or resulting from the use of this material, or for technical or editorial omissions made in this document.
2001,
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CONTENTS
Part 1 Basic Features
1 WORKING IN MAYA
Starting Maya 17 17 17 18 18 Command line options Environment variables Main window 19 23
Running prior versions of Maya
Main window and floating windows Maya workspace 24 26 26 27 28 29 30
Streamlining the interface Working with objects Object display Object attributes Attributes and nodes Working with tools and actions Using actions Using tools 30 30
Manipulators and handles Working with editors MEL commands Using the Hotbox 32 33 32
31
Displaying recent selections Disabling the Hotbox Using marking menus Scene management Getting help 39 41 41 36 38 35
34 34
Changing the appearance and contents of the Hotbox
VIEWING YOUR SCENE
Orienting the XYZ system World coordinates Local coordinates Working with cameras
Changing the orientation/up axis 42 43 43 44
42
Creating a new camera
USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 3
CONTENTS
Setting Camera options Moving the camera Camera tools 49 48
45
Looking through a camera Changing camera settings Camera Attribute Editor Setting a perspective view 58 54
52 53
Creating new perspective views Setting an orthographic view 59
59
Creating new orthographic views Lighting your scene Arranging views 61 64 64 60
59
Displaying the workspace only Laying out the views Marking a view 66 66
Creating a bookmark Renaming a bookmark
Selecting custom bookmarks 67 Adding a bookmark to a shelf Enabling and disabling nodes 68
67 67
EDITING OBJECTS
Selecting objects
69 69 69 70 70 71 72 72 72
Selecting objects individually Inverting a selection Selecting objects by type Selecting objects by name Selecting all objects in a set 70
Selecting multiple objects in a scene Selecting all objects in a scene
Selecting all objects in a display layer Deleting objects 72 72
Deleting a single object Deleting all objects by type Duplicating and instancing objects Duplicating objects 74
Deleting object components by type 74 74
73
CONTENTS
Creating instances of objects Working with groups Grouping objects Ungrouping objects Creating an empty group 78 78 79 80
76
Creating object hierarchies (parenting) Parenting objects Unparenting objects Undoing and redoing actions Undoing your last action 80 81 82 82
80
Redoing and repeating actions Editing object attributes 82 83 83
82
TRANSFORMING OBJECTS
Selecting Transformation Tools Using manipulators 83
About manipulator handles Using axes and pivot points What are pivot points? What is an axis? Moving objects 88 87 84 84
84
Choosing a coordinate system for the Move Tool Using the Move Normal Tool Moving curves on surfaces Moving a path animation marker Rotating objects 92 92 93 94 91 91 92
90
Changing the rotation order Choosing a rotate mode Animating rotation channels Scaling objects 94
Using the Show Manipulator Tool Selecting an items history node
95 96 97 97 98
Changing a curves parameter range Using the Default Object manipulator Entering numeric values 98
Displaying manipulators for lights and cameras
CONTENTS
Using the Numeric Input field Using the Command Line Combining transformations Using proportional modification Using the PropMod script Creating locators Using Measure Tools 106 107 107 100
98 100
101 102 105
Specifying proportional modification falloff
Using distance measures Displaying parameter values Measuring arc lengths
110
112
DISPLAYING OBJECTS
115 115
Displaying items in Maya Using a grid 115
Setting grid options Displaying View tools Changing Wireframe Color 118
116
119 120 122 123 123 124 125
Specifying how objects display Hiding and showing objects Hiding geometry Hiding kinematics Hiding deformers
Isolating selected objects or components Displaying object components Displaying geometry components 126 127
Displaying camera and light manipulators Displaying camera manipulator controls Displaying light manipulator controls Working with templates Using layers 130 131 132 132 133 130
128 128 129
Using the Layer Editor Assigning objects to layers
Creating and naming layers Removing objects from layers USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 6
CONTENTS
Deleting layers Editing layers
133 134
MODELING AIDS
Snapping
139 139 139 140 141 141
Snapping icons Snapping hotkeys
Snapping along a constraint axis Snapping aligning objects Limiting selections 146 142
Snapping to a curve on surface or isoparm curve
Limiting selection by object type Limiting selection by component type Limiting selection to hierarchy items Limiting selection to template objects Limiting selection by task 152
146 147 151 151 153
Moving selection limitations to the shelf Freezing and resetting transformations Locking transform tools and manipulators Using construction history Making objects live Creating levels of detail Re-ordering the levels Adding and editing levels 156 157 159 159 159 154 153
154
Changing the Threshold distances
Previewing more than one object at the same time Notes about orthographic cameras and level of detail
160 160
MANAGING FILES AND PROJECTS

Creating a new scene Opening a scene 161 161
161
Setting Open options Saving files 165
162
Setting save options Tips for reducing file size Optimizing scene size Managing projects 168 169
166 168
CONTENTS
Where Maya stores scene information Using absolute and relative paths Multiple project directory paths Creating projects 171 172 172 173 173 173 Specifying the current project Editing the current project Mapping missing directories Mapping from UNIX to UNIX Supported file formats Importing files 175 175 176 177 174 170 171
170
Mapping from UNIX to Windows
Using default nodes Importing files by copying Importing move files
Importing Adobe Illustrator and EPS files Importing animation curves Importing files by reference Exporting files 185 185 186 187 188 188 189 190 191 195 195 195 196 197 179 180
178
Setting export options Exporting scene elements Exporting move files Using plug-ins for exporting
Exporting to Wavefront (OBJ) Exporting to RenderMan Exporting animation curves
Exporting to IGES, DXF, and Alias Wire
SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

About environment variables Creating the Maya.env file Rules for Maya.env
Where Maya looks for Maya.env Modifying standard paths Other path settings 198 198
Standard Maya environment variables
199
CONTENTS
Part 2 Editors
9 USING MAYA EDITORS
Using General Editors 207 208 209 212
Using the Component Editor Using the Attribute Spread Sheet Using the Relationship Editor Setting view options Creating relationships 217 218
Displaying relationships and objects 220
218 221
Selecting relationships, relationship members, and objects Adding and removing relationship members Using the Attribute Editor 222 222 225 221
Displaying the Attribute Editor
Loading object attributes into the Attribute Editor Adding a custom attribute Editing custom attributes Deleting custom attributes Changing node behavior Linking attributes Breaking connections Locking attribute values 232 232 232 232 233 227 229 230 230
Viewing attributes for different objects at the same time
226
Setting keys for attributes in the Attribute Editor
231
Launching the Expression Editor
Mapping a texture to an attribute value Using the Color Chooser Using the Channel Box 233 236 236 237
Displaying the Channel Box Displaying object attributes Displaying component attributes Changing the display format Entering values for attributes
Adding attributes to the Channel Box 238 239 240
238
Setting keys for attributes from the Channel Box Breaking connections from the Channel Box Locking attribute values from the Channel Box
244 245 246 246 247 USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 9
Setting breakdown keys for attributes from the Channel Box
Launching the Expression Editor from the Channel Box
CONTENTS
Linking attributes from the Channel Box Modifying an objects history (inputs) Using the Outliner 249
247 247
Understanding scene hierarchy terminology Navigating the Outliner Displaying shape nodes Displaying attributes Parenting objects Reordering nodes 252 254 256 254 257 258 251 252
250
Displaying specific types of nodes Selecting and renaming objects
Limiting the information shown in editors Limiting the display 259 Showing all items not currently displayed Showing all items (removing restrictions) Storing your restrictions Deleting stored restrictions 260 261
260 260
Controlling display of auxiliary nodes
262
10
USING THE HYPERGRAPH

Opening the Hypergraph
263 263 265
Understanding scene hierarchy terminology Using the scene hierarchy 266 266
Expanding scene hierarchy nodes Parenting objects 270
Displaying special nodes and connections Rearranging scene hierarchy nodes 272
268
Displaying a background image with a scene hierarchy Understanding the dependency graph Using a dependency graph 276 277 278 281 282 286 286 280 276
274
Displaying render node connections
Displaying upstream and downstream connections Dragging nodes into a dependency graph Disconnecting nodes in a dependency graph Connecting nodes in a dependency graph Updating the layout of a dependency graph Clearing the contents of a dependency graph Returning to the scene hierarchy 286
CONTENTS
Editing objects
286 286 287 288 288 289 289 289 289 290 291 291 292 292 292 292 293 293 295 287
Selecting objects Renaming an object
Adding and selecting an IK handle Hiding an object in the workspace Editing an objects attributes Creating a render node Altering the view of a graph Tracking the view Dollying the view Dollying a region
Fitting an entire graph in the window Centering selected nodes in the window Centering a hierarchy in the window Adjusting view transition speed Setting graph update options Using bookmarks for graph views Rebuilding the graphs 295 Undoing a view of a scene hierarchy Displaying a graph vertically or horizontally
Centering a hierarchy branch in the window
11
SETS AND PARTITIONS

How you can use sets Understanding sets Sets you create
297 297 298 299 300 303
Sets created by Maya
Creating, selecting, and removing sets Creating sets Selecting sets Removing sets 303 304 304
Creating sets for quick selection Editing set membership Altering the display of sets Understanding partitions Partitions you create 305 305 306 306 307
304
Partitions created by Maya
Creating, displaying, and removing partitions
308 USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 11
CONTENTS
Adding sets to partitions
309
Part 3 Preferences
12 SETTING PREFERENCES
313 313 314 315
Settings/Preferences menu Where Maya stores preferences
Saving preferences using userSetup.mel Preferences window Interface UI Elements Misc Display Kinematics Animation Manipulators NURBS Polygons Settings Dynamics Files/Projects Keys Modeling Selection Snapping Sound Timeline Undo Modules 325 325 326 327 327 328 329 329 330 330 321 321 322 323 324 317 318 319 319 319 316 317 316
Changing color settings Changing default colors Specifying tool settings
332 333 334 339
Specifying performance settings Loading and unloading plug-ins
13
CUSTOMIZING SHELVES, MARKING MENUS, AND HOTKEYS

Creating and editing shelves 339
CONTENTS
Creating and deleting shelves Adding shelf items Removing shelf items Renaming shelves Reordering the shelves Changing shelf icons Changing icon labels Setting Shelf options Adding icon names 342 344
341
Moving and copying shelf items 345 345 345 347 348 349
344
Changing MEL command(s) associated with an icon Creating and editing marking menus Creating marking menus 352 355 355 358 359 Assigning marking menus to hotkeys Modifying existing marking menus Adding submenus to menu items Deleting marking menus Assigning hotkeys 362 363 364 364 365 365 360 351
349
Associating a MEL script with a menu item
Assigning hotkeys to standard commands Viewing hotkey lists Searching for commands Changing or deleting a hotkey
Adding commands for hotkey assignment
14
WORKING WITH PANELS AND LAYOUTS

Using the Panel Editor Managing panels 368 367
367
Renaming existing panels Creating and deleting panels Defining layouts 370
368 368
Selecting panel layouts Adding a layout to a shelf Creating layouts Deleting layouts 371 373
370 371
Maintaining layout history
374
CONTENTS
Image by Daniel Siriste
PART 1
BASIC FEATURES
WORKING IN MAYA
Throughout Maya youll find a consistent interface and a style of working that is both fast and easily customizable. This chapter presents these methods of working so you can quickly launch into your projects.
STARTING MAYA
You can start Maya by either double-clicking the Maya desktop icon or by typing maya at a command prompt. On Windows, you can also select Start > Programs > Maya (Complete or Unlimited) 4.0 > Maya.
Command line options

If you start Maya from the command line, there are various startup options you can specify. For example, you can open a file at startup using the -file flag:
maya -file filename
To see the available startup flags, type the following:

maya -help
To execute Maya commands without the interface, use either -prompt or -batch. The prompt flag issues a MEL prompt for you to type commands. Type quit to exit the prompt mode. Use the -batch flag to run commands without user input, such as in shell or batch scripts. The -batch flag starts Maya, executes any commands you specify, and then closes Maya. For example, you could create a script to open a file from a prior version of Maya in order to update it to the current version:
maya -batch -file someMayaFile.mb -command "file -save"
Note The -batch command is not used for batch rendering. Instead, use the Render command. However, -batch does check out a render-only license instead of a full Maya license. On Windows, type mayabatch when using the -batch flag. The mayabatch command runs within the command prompt window, whereas the maya command starts a separate window.
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Starting Maya
Running prior versions of Maya

In some cases, you may want to run a prior version of Maya. On Windows, simply choose the prior version from the Start menu. On UNIX, you need to use a symbolic link pointing to the installation directory of the prior version. To add a symbolic link, log in as root and type the following commands:
cd /usr/sbin ln -s /usr/aw/mayaX.X/bin/maya mayaXX
where XX is the version number. From then on, in any shell windows you open, you can type mayaXX to run the prior version.
Environment variables
At startup, Maya uses a number of environment variables to set the environment. Many of the variables are included in the Maya program and are set automatically when you start Maya. To configure Maya further, you can set additional environment variables. For more information, see Chapter 8, Setting Environment Variables.
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Main window
MAIN WINDOW
Read this section for a brief summary of the main interface elements. As you read, keep in mind the following: You can show or hide any of the UI elements in the main window using the Display > UI Elements menu. You can also hide a UI element by clicking the hide button to the left of or above the UI element. To show a UI element, right-click another hide button and select the desired UI element from the pop-up menu. The critical part of the interface is in the workspace panel; see the next topic, "Maya workspace" on page 24 for details. You can hide all the interface elements and instead use Mayas quick command features: the Hotbox, Marking Menus, and hotkeys. For an introduction to this topic, see "Streamlining the interface" on page 26. A menu icon appears to the right of the mouse pointer when a right mouse button pop-up menu is available for the control over which the mouse is hovering.
Title bar Main Menu bar Status Line Shelf Scene Menu bar
Tool Box
Workspace
Time Slider Range Slider Command Line Help Line Channel Box Layer Editor
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Main window
Main Menu Bar

The menus in Maya are grouped into menu sets. Each menu set corresponds to a module of the software: Animation, Modeling, Dynamics, and Rendering. Maya Unlimited has additional modules: Cloth and Live. As you switch between menu sets, the right-hand menus change, but the left-hand menus remain the same; these are the common menus. To switch between menu sets, use the Status Line pull-down menu or hotkeys. The hotkeys are: F2 (Animation), F3 (Modeling), F4 (Dynamics), and F5 (Rendering).
Select the menu set you want to work with ... and see these menus change
... while the common menus stay the same
Status Line
The Status Line has a variety of commands, mostly used for modeling. For example, the central group of buttons are used to select objects and components. See "Working with objects" on page 26 for an introduction to this topic. Also see Chapter 6, Modeling Aids, which describes most of the options on the Status Line. The last three buttons are used to show or hide editors, including the Attribute Editor, Channel Box, Layer Editor, and Tool Settings. See Chapter 9, Using Maya Editors.
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For better organization, the buttons are broken into groups that you can expand and collapse, as shown in the following illustration.
Click the arrow bar to expand
Click the expanded bar to collapse
lo
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Main window
Shelf
The Shelf is a collection of tools and other commands that you can customize for your specific needs. By creating custom shelves, you can organize commonly used actions and tools into groups. For example, you can create modeling, animating, and rendering shelves with appropriate tools and actions for each option. You can also store the same tool more than once, but with different settings. For information on creating, editing, and deleting shelves, see "Creating and editing shelves" on page 339. To switch between shelves, click the tab icon, as shown in the following illustration.
Click to switch between shelves
Pull down menu for shelf-related options
Tool Box
The Tool Box contains common tools as well as the last selected tool and icons for changing views and layouts.
Select Tool Lasso Tool Move Tool Rotate Tool Scale Tool Show Manipulator Tool last selected tool Single Perspective View Four View Persp/Outliner Persp/Graph Hypershade/Persp Persp/Graph/Hypergraph Panel/Layout New Quick Layout buttons New Tool
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Main window The space on the Tool Box that is allocated to the last selected tool displays the icon of the last tool you selected from a menu or shelf. Tools that already have an icon on the Tool Box, such as the Move Tool, wont appear in this space. (This is also referred to as the non-sacred tool.) See Chapter 3, Editing Objects, for information on using the Select Tool and Lasso Tool. See Chapter 4, Transforming Objects, for information on using the transformation tools. See Chapter 2, Viewing Your Scene, for information on using the Quick Layout buttons.
Workspace
The main purpose of the workspace is to view your scene. You can also display various editors and arrange the workspace panels in different layouts. For further discussion, see the next topic "Maya workspace" on page 24.
Layer Editor
Layering is a method of grouping objects so you can easily hide them from view, use them as a template, or render them in a separate pass. The Layer Editor provides the main controls for creating layers, adding objects to layers, and making layers visible or invisible. See "Using layers" on page 130 for more information.
Channel Box
Most of Mayas interface elements are common to 3D software packages, but the Channel Box is a unique and powerful feature. It gives direct access to the building blocks of Maya: attributes and nodes. Specifically, it shows the keyable attributes, also known as channels. (A keyable attribute means you can set animation keyframes for it.) For further discussion, see "Object attributes" on page 28.
Time Slider and Range Slider

The two sliders are for controlling the frames in your animation. The Time Slider includes the playback buttons (also called transport controls) and the current time indicator. The Range Slider includes start and end times, playback start and end times, the Range Slider bar, the Auto Key button, and the Animation preferences button. For information on using the animation controls, see Using Maya: Animation.
Time Slider Current time Playback buttons
Start time Playback start time Range Slider
Range Slider
Playback end time
End time
Current character Auto Key button Animation preferences button
Command Line
Another powerful feature of Maya is the MEL command language, and the Command Line is your pipeline to it. Notice that it has two halves.
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Main window
Enter MEL command with required arguments Command response Script Editor button
The left side is where you can type MEL commands. For example, you can type a command to quickly create a sphere with a specific name and radius. For a longer series of commands, use the Script Editor, which you can launch from the button on the far right. The right half displays system responses, error messages, and warnings. It can also show echoes of all commands if you turn on Script > Echo All Commands from the Script Editor. You can resize the width of the input and the output sections of the Command Line.
Position the mouse between the input and output section. Drag the resizing tool to the left or the right to resize the sections.
You can use the up and down arrow keys in the Command Line to scroll through the list of commands that have been previously executed in the Command Line.
Help Line
Like several other applications, you can look at the help line for descriptions, instructions, and other useful information. For full details, see "Help Line" on page 39.
Main window and floating windows

Maya has several editors that launch as floating windows separate from the main window. To manage these windows, note the following tips. On UNIX, use Window > Raise Application Windows to display open windows hidden by the main window. On Windows, floating windows stay on top of the main Maya window by default. In order to bring the main window on top, you can detach each floating window from the main window. Click the icon in the upper-left corner of the floating window and turn off Attach to Main Window. Tear-off menus You can display menus as separate windows. This is helpful when you use a menu repeatedly. Pull down the menu and click the tear-off line at the top. Tear-off menus always display on top.
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Maya workspace
Drag the window by the title bar to move it a new location Click the Close button (x) to close the tear-off menu
Click the tear-off line to tear off the menu
MAYA WORKSPACE
The main purpose of the workspace is to view your scene. You can also display various editors and arrange the workspace panels in different layouts. Most of the commands for using the workspace are on the menu bar at the top of the workspace panel. In particular, the Panels menu contains commands for changing views, displaying editors, and arranging panel layouts.
Viewing your scene The view panel is really the view seen through a virtual camera. There are four default views: perspective, front, side, and top. Select a view from the Panels menu. To look around the scene, you move the camera. The main commands are shown in the following table:
Hold
Alt
Drag
To...
Tumble
(Tumbling does not work in orthographic windows.)
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Maya workspace
Hold
Alt
Drag
To...
Track M
Alt L M
Dolly
Ctrl
+ Alt L
Bounding Box Dolly
Drag right to dolly in and left to dolly out. This navigation is available in several editors too, like the Graph Editor and Hypergraph. Additional view commands are available under the View menu. For more information, see Chapter 2, Viewing Your Scene. Layout options You can split the workspace into a multi-panel layout. For example, press and release the Spacebar to switch to the default, four-panel layout. Press and release the Spacebar again to expand the active panel to full screen.
In addition, you can display various editors in any panel, giving you the capability of arranging layouts to suit a specific workflow. Default layouts are listed under the Panels > Saved Layouts submenu. You can also use the Panels editor (Panels > Panel Editor) to create your own.
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Streamlining the interface
STREAMLINING THE INTERFACE

You can easily customize the Maya interface to suit your work style. One of the recommended ways of streamlining the interface is to hide the interface elements like menus and tools and devote more space to your scene window. To hide or display elements, use the Display > UI Elements submenu. You can quickly hide all UI elements except the workspace panels by choosing Display > UI Elements > Hide UI Elements. For example, you can maximize the scene view while working on detailed models. In place of menus and toolbars, use hotkeys, the Hotbox, Marking Menus, and popup menus. The following are descriptions of each.
Hotkeys
Hotkeys are also known as keyboard shortcuts. There are several default hotkeys, and they appear on the menu label next to the corresponding menu command. You can change these hotkeys and assign new ones using the Hotkey Editor (Window > Settings/Preferences > Hotkeys). For information on assigning hotkeys, see "Assigning hotkeys" on page 362. The Hotbox is a way to quickly navigate the Maya menus without using the menu bar. It pops up when you press and hold Spacebar. It puts all of the Maya menus in quick reach, instead of at the top of the screen. Unlike the main menu bar, you can control which menu sets display in the Hotbox. For details, see "Using the Hotbox" on page 33. Like the Hotbox, Marking Menus are a pop-up menu that puts commands in quick reach, including commands not on menus. For example, with nothing selected, you can right-click in the workspace and choose Select All. You can also modify Marking Menus to suit your workflow. For details, see "Using marking menus" on page 36. Several Maya editors display popup menus when you right click in them. Typically, they include commands from that editors menu. For example, the popup menu in the Outliner gives you controls for what types of information display.
Hotbox
Marking Menus
Pop up menus
WORKING WITH OBJECTS

The scenes you create in Maya consist of objects, and objects consist of components, such as control vertices (CVs), edit points, patches, polygonal faces, and so forth. In Maya, you work with objects in either object or component selection mode. Object mode is the default and is for manipulating objects as a whole. Component mode displays and lets you edit the objects components. You switch between object and component mode from the Status Line. You can also switch between modes with the hotkey F8. The following illustration shows a torus in object mode and the same torus modified by moving CVs in component mode.
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Working with objects
Object mode
Component mode
Selection masks To select just the object or component types you want to edit, you use selection masks, also called pick masks. Pick masks are available on the Status Line and also as Marking Menus when you right click on an object. For example, right click on a NURBS sphere, choose Control Vertex from the Marking Menu, and the CVs display for you to edit.
For more information, see "Limiting selections" on page 146.
Object display
By default, objects appear in wireframe display. To view objects with shaded surfaces, choose a shade mode from the Shading menu on the view panel. The hotkeys for these options are shown in the following table:
4 5 6
Wireframe Smooth Shade Smooth Shade with Hardware Texturing
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Working with objects For NURBS objects (objects created from NURBS curves), you can also control how smooth the surface appears using the commands under Display > NURBS Smoothness. This affects display only, not how the object renders. The hotkeys are in the following table:
1 2 3
Rough Medium Fine
For more information on object display, see Chapter 5, Displaying Objects.
Object attributes
All object and component characteristics are stored as attributes. When you model, animate, assign materials, and do any kind of manipulation on objects, you are changing attribute values. You can see and edit attributes directly in the Channel Box or the Attribute Editor. The Channel box contains the keyable attributes for one or more objects. The Attribute Editor contains all attributes for any single object. Entering values A simple example of working with object attributes is to change its translation. In the Channel box, the Translate X, Y, Z attributes appear at the top. To quickly position an object at the coordinates 1, 1, 1, select all three attributes, type 1, and press Enter. (In general, typed values do not go into effect until you press Enter or exit the field.)
Using the Channel box to change translate attributes
Note When you change values, Maya inserts characters by default. On Windows, you can also overtype (replace existing characters) as you type. Press the Insert key for overtype mode. Numeric Input field An alternative way to enter values for moving, scaling, or rotating is to use the Numeric Input field in the Status Line. Enter the numbers in the order of X-axis, Yaxis, and Z-axis, with a space between each number. (Do not use any punctuation between the numbers.) You can enter positive and negative real numbers.
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Working with objects
Numeric Input field on Status Line
For more information on using the Numeric Input field with the transformation tools, see "Entering numeric values" on page 98. Also see "Selecting objects by name" on page 72 for information on using the Numeric Input field to select objects.
Attributes and nodes

As you work with attributes, you need to be aware of Mayas node architecture. Unlike other software packages, Maya lays bare its underlying programming structure. The building blocks are nodes, which are groups of related attributes. For example, the attributes describing an objects transformation are in a transform node. Why should you care about nodes? At a minimum, simply be aware that attributes are grouped together in this way. In general, nodes fall into one of these types: transform (object position), shape (component positions), input (object construction), and shading (object materials).
Transform node Shape node Input node Shading node
Attribute Editor Channel Box
With more experience, you can take advantage of nodes to make your own connections. For example, you could link the animation of two orbiting spheres by connecting the rotation attributes of those objects nodes. For more information, see Chapter 10, Using the Hypergraph. (The Hypergraph graphically depicts the objects and nodes in your scene so you can easily examine and modify connections.)
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Working with tools and actions
WORKING WITH TOOLS AND ACTIONS

Weve described how you can edit object attributes by typing values, but youll do most of your object manipulation using tools and actions. An example tool is the Move tool, which translates objects. An example action is Edit > Duplicate. The distinction is not crucial, but you should know how each works.
Using actions
An action refers to the standard software operation of picking an object, and selecting a menu item to perform an action. For example, if you want to create a revolved surface, first select the profile curve you want to use, then select Revolve from the Surfaces menu. In Maya, many of the actions you perform have associated options. For example, you may want to set the pivot point before you revolve the curve. To set options, first open the option box (if available). Option boxes appear as a square to the right of the menu label (). When you have completed the option box, click the action button or Apply button at the bottom. Most of the settings in option boxes correspond to object attributes, so you can edit them later as well.
Tip You can return to the factory option settings by choosing Edit > Reset Settings in the option box menu.
Using tools
Working with tools in Maya is like working with a real artists tool. You pick the tool and manipulate items with it until you complete the operation. There are visual cues to let you know that you have picked a tool: the word Tool appears on the menu label the tool is highlighted on the Tool Box in most cases, the cursor changes or a manipulator appears around the object instructions appear on the Help Line to guide you through the operation
CV Curve Tool help
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Working with tools and actions Tools have options you can set to control their behavior. Like actions, there is an option box to right of the menu label that opens a window with all the options. You can also double-click icons on the Maya windows Tool Box to display a Tool Settings window for the tool represented by that icon. For instance, if you doubleclick the following icon in the Tool Box, Maya displays a settings window for the Rotate Tool. See Chapter 4, Transforming Objects, for information on using transformation tools.
Double-click here to display a Tool Settings window for the Rotate tool
Manipulators and handles

Many tools have manipulators for modifying objects. All of the transform tools, for example, have manipulators with three handlesone for each axis. Manipulator handles are typically used to control the direction of transformation. For example, you can click on just one handle of the Move Tool to constrain movement to that axis. This is the active handle and it is colored yellow. For more information on transform manipulators, see "Using manipulators" on page 83.
Y handle Center handle X handle
Z handle
Some objects have manipulators associated with them. For example, cameras and lights have manipulators to control their center of interest and other settings. These manipulators also have a Cycling Index. You can click the Cycling Index to cycle through the available manipulator controls.
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Working with editors
Pivot Clipping Panes Center of Interest
Clipping Panes
Cycling Index
For more information on displaying camera and light manipulators, see "Displaying camera and light manipulators" on page 128. For information on using manipulators to modify an objects construction history, see "Using the Show Manipulator Tool" on page 95.
WORKING WITH EDITORS

Another important part of Maya are it's editors. We've already seen the Attribute Editor, which is a general purpose editor. Other general editors include the Channel Box, Outliner, and Relationship Editor. See Chapter 9, Using Maya Editors, for more information about general editors. There are task-specific editors such as the Render View, Hypershade (Rendering), Trax Editor (Animation), and Script Editor (MEL). See the appropriate guide for more information.
MEL COMMANDS
MEL is Maya's scripting language. Here are some examples of things you can do with MEL: Use MEL commands to bypass Maya's user interface, quickly create shortcuts, and access advanced features. Enter exact values for attributes, bypassing any restrictions to precision imposed by the interface. Customize the interface for specific scenes, changing default settings to settings you prefer for a particular project. Create MEL procedures and scripts that carry out custom modeling, animation, dynamics, and rendering tasks. There are several ways to enter MEL commands; using the Script Editor or Command Line are the most common. You can also execute commands in script files, .ma files, shelf icons, hotkeys, and expressions. See Using Maya: MEL for an introduction to using MEL commands and scripts.
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Using the Hotbox
USING THE HOTBOX

The Hotbox is a customizable collection of menu sets that you can make appear by holding down the Spacebar on the keyboard. Once you customize the Hotbox, it provides quick access to the menus you use, hiding menus that are irrelevant to your work. You can customize the Hotbox at any time to accommodate changing needs. The Hotbox has five zones: North, South, East, West, and Center. They are defined by diagonal lines.
North zone
West zone Center zone
East zone
South zone
Each zone contains marking menus. Use these menus to change selection masks, control panel visibility, and panel types. For information on marking menus, see "Using marking menus" on page 36. To display the Hotbox: Press and hold the Spacebar. The Hotbox appears at the location of the pointer. The default Hotbox looks like the following (if you customized it, it will look different):
Common menus Panel menus (depends on the active panel) Recent main menu selections Functional menu set(s) Used to customize Hotbox appearance
Note If you press the Spacebar briefly but do not hold it down, Maya changes the number of views displayed. For example, if you are in a perspective view, then press the Spacebar, Maya displays the four basic views.
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Using the Hotbox
Displaying recent selections

The Hotbox lets you display up to 16 previously selected menu items (also available from Edit > Recent Commands). This saves working through hierarchial or cascading menus and lets you quickly repeat a selection. (To display more than 16 menu selections, use a MEL script. For more information, see Using Maya: MEL.)
Click here
Select recent command here
Changing the appearance and contents of the Hotbox

You can change the appearance and the contents of the Hotbox while you are working. While pressing the Spacebar, click Hotbox Controls and drag to select an option.
Customizing which menus show in the Hotbox The top portion of the Hotbox Controls lets you choose which menu sets you want to appear. For example, choose Show Animation > Show/Hide Animation to turn on or off the Animation menu set display. You can also hide all menu sets except the one you want displayed; for example, choose Animation Only.
The display controls for other menus are in the bottom portion of the Hotbox Controls, including menus for Maya Cloth and Live.
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Using the Hotbox Changing the transparency You can make the Hotbox more or less transparent. Select Hotbox Controls > Set Transparency and choose a new percentage.
Changing the style of the Hotbox Use the Hotbox Style option to change the display of the Hotbox. Select Hotbox Controls > Hotbox Style and drag to select one of the following styles:
Zones and Menu Rows
Make all of the menu rows visible.

Zones Only Center Zone Only
Display just the five marking menu zones. Menu sets are not available. Make only the center zone (A|W) active everywhere. North, South, East, and West Zones and menu sets will not be available. Turn this option on to display menus for the selected menu set when you right-click on the workspace. The menu set appears as a pop-up instead of a row. Note that the functional menu sets do not display when this option is on, even if you have selected to show them. Setting window options from the Hotbox To increase your screen space, you can hide the main and view menu bars and use the Hotbox menus instead. Select the Hotbox Controls > Window Options submenu and turn off Show Main Menubar or Show Pain Menubars.
Center Zone RMB Popups
Disabling the Hotbox

You can disable the Hotbox so it does not appear when you press the Spacebar. To disable the Hotbox: 1 2 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Hotkeys. The Hotkey Editor window opens. Scroll down and select Hotbox in the list of Categories (near the bottom of the list). Select ShowHotbox from the list of Commands, select Space from Current Hotkeys, and then click the Remove button. Maya removes the Space hotkey. This turns off the hotkey functionality. Click the Save button, then the Close button. Now when you press the Spacebar, the Hotbox does not display.
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Using marking menus
Note Use the Restore Defaults button in the Hotkey Editor to restore a hotkey assignment you removed.
USING MARKING MENUS

Marking menus are customizable menus that let you quickly access various tools and actions. You can use them from any part of the Maya workspace. You can display marking menus by doing any of the following: Clicking in each zone in the Hotbox. (See "To use a marking menu in the Hotbox:" on page 36.) Pressing hotkeys and the left mouse button. (See "To use a marking menu with a hotkey:" on page 37.) Clicking in the workspace with the right mouse button. (See "To use a marking menu with the right mouse button:" on page 38.) You can customize marking menus to run scripts you have written. For information, see "Creating and editing marking menus" on page 351. To use a marking menu in the Hotbox: 1 Press and hold the Spacebar. Maya displays the Hotbox. The Hotbox has five zones: North, South, East, West, and Center. They are defined by diagonal lines. (For an illustration, see "Using the Hotbox" on page 33.) 2 Still holding down the Spacebar, left click in a zone then drag to select a menu item and release the Spacebar. In each of the five zones, the Hotbox supports a different marking menu for each mouse button. This lets you create three menus per zone, for a total of fifteen marking menus and approximately 120 selections. You can customize a marking menu using the Marking Menu editor. For more information, see "Creating and editing marking menus" on page 351. Default marking menus The following marking menus are the default settings for each of the five zones.
North zone
Changes to a new window layout.
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Using marking menus
South zone
Changes a view in the current panel.
East zone
Turns elements of the interface display on and off.
West zone
Switches between preset selection masks.
Center zone
Switches between views.
To use a marking menu with a hotkey: Many hotkeys have a marking menu associated with them. For example, the default hotkey w is associated with the Move tool. 1 2 Select an object. Press and hold the hotkey on the keyboard, then click the left mouse button. For example, when you press the w key, the following menu appears.
Drag to make your selection then release the hotkey. If you choose the Translate XYZ option, the move tools center handle is selected. You can then move the object anywhere within the view plane. If you choose the Translate X, Translate Y, or Translate Z option, the move tools appropriate handle (either X, Y, or Z) is selected. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 37
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Scene management For more information on using marking menus with hotkeys, see "Assigning marking menus to hotkeys" on page 355. To use a marking menu with the right mouse button: 1 2 If you have not selected an object, press the right mouse button to display a pop-up menu. Choose Select All. or If you have selected an object, press the right mouse button anywhere in the view. The type of object you are working with determines which marking menu appears. For example, in the following illustration, a polygonal cylinder is selected.
SCENE MANAGEMENT
Throughout Maya, there are various features for organizing the elements in your scene and for optimizing the scene file size. The following list summarizes some of the main scene management features.
Groups Sets and Partitions
You can group objects for quick selection and manipulate them as a whole. See "Working with groups" on page 78. Sets are like groups, but they have the advantage of working with components as well. A partition is a collection of sets. It is used primarily to prevent two sets from having overlapping members. See Chapter 11, Sets and Partitions. Note that other Maya features, such as the Character > Create commands, utilize sets as a way of grouping objects. Layering is a method of grouping objects so you can easily hide them from view, use them as a template, or render them in a separate pass. The Layer Editor provides the main controls for creating layers, adding objects to layers, and making layers visible or invisible. See "Using layers" on page 130 for more information. Before you save, we recommend that you optimize scene size for improved performance, memory use, and reduced use of disk space (File > Optimize > Scene Size ). For details, see "Optimizing scene size" on page 168.
Layers
Scene optimization
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Getting help Deleting construction history (if you have it enabled) is recommended when you finish modeling and are ready to animate. (Construction history, as the name implies, is a record of the information used in constructing an object.) To delete it, select the object and choose Edit > Delete by Type > History. You may want to avoid construction history altogether to optimize performance. To do this, click the Construction History On/Off button in the Status Line to turn it off.
GETTING HELP
There are various types of online help provided with Maya.
Popup Help
When you pass your mouse over an icon or button, a description of it appears. This feature is on by default, but you can disable it (Help > Popup Help).
Help Line
The Help Line at the bottom of Mayas window shows information about tools, menus, and objects. Like the pop-up help, it displays descriptions when you pass the mouse over icons, as well as menu items. It also displays instructions when you select a tool; for example:
When you transform objects, the Help Line displays the object coordinates; for example:
X axis
Y axis
Z axis
When you open or save a file, a progress bar control will appear in the lower lefthand corner of the main Maya window to show you how much of the file has been read or written.
Progress indicator Product Information A|W Web Site Online Library
Action indicator
Choose Help > Product Information to see Mayas version and release date. Choose Help > A|W Web Site to automatically launch your default web browser and view the A|W web site. Also under the Help menu are selections for the online documentation library. This help requires version 4 or higher of either Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer. Several of these documents are available in printable PDF format, readable from the Maya CD-ROM. The Global Index and Search menu items can be used to find information in the online library of documents. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 39
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Getting help
Help on... Find Menu
For some Maya windows and dialog boxes, you can open help about the editor directly by choosing Help > Help on windowname. To find the location of a main menu item, choose Help > Find Menu and type the menu item name. The search is not case-sensitive. It accepts wildcard characters (*), but if the menu was renamed or removed, type the name in full. The search is limited to the main menu selections.
VIEWING YOUR SCENE

This chapter describes Mayas XYZ coordinate system. It also includes information on the various tasks you can perform using Maya viewing tools. Additionally, it explains how to hide nodes to improve Mayas playback speed.
ORIENTING THE XYZ SYSTEM

Mayas 3D coordinate system lets you create characters and scenes with dimensionally accurate values. In the XYZ coordinate system, the origin is the center with coordinates 0,0,0. All points are defined by one coordinate along the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. You can orient the XYZ coordinate system in either Y-up or Zup.
Y-up
A Y-up world has X set up as the horizontal and Z as the depth of the scene. This orientation is often used by animators (and games developers) who have evolved from the 2D world of vertical (Y) and horizontal (X) to include movement toward or away from the camera (Z).
Y-up character model
Y-axis
Z-axis
X-axis
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Orienting the XYZ system
Z-up
A Z-up world begins with a ground plane that represents the X and Y directions, with Z representing the up direction. This orientation is used by designers, whose main concern is the ground plane where their plans are placed.
Z-up character model
Z-axis
Y-axis
X-axis
Changing the orientation/up axis

You can change the scene orientation in the preferences or with a MEL command. Note that, along with changing the up axis, every menu action or tool has an equivalent line command. To specify the scene orientation in the preferences: 1 2 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences, Settings category. Under World Coordinate System, select Y or Z. To specify the scene orientation with a MEL command: 1 2 To change the orientation to Z-up, enter the following in the Command line:
upAxis -ax z
To change the orientation to Y-up, enter the following in the Command line:
upAxis -ax y
For more information on using MEL commands, see Using Maya: MEL.
World coordinates
World coordinates represent space in the view. For example, when you move a camera you move it in terms of world coordinates. The center of the world coordinate system is located at the Origin. World space is a coordinate system used to represent an object in terms you define. For example, a model car might be defined in terms of millimeters. World coordinates are also known as modeling coordinates.

Working with cameras
Local coordinates
Local coordinates represent the space around an entity. The origin of a local coordinate system is the center of that entity. One way to understand local coordinates is to imagine an object sitting within a box. All of the points on the objects surface are then given with respect to one corner of the box. If you pick up the entire box and move it around the room, the coordinates of the objectwith respect to the boxdo not change: the coordinates of the box with respect to the room are changing. Focus on the two different descriptions: the object with respect to the box (the objects local coordinates), and the box with respect to the room (the position of the objects coordinate system with respect to the world coordinate system).
WORKING WITH CAMERAS

In Maya, you are always looking through a camera for either perspective or orthographic views. Think of it as being a director on a movie set and looking through a camera lens. Your field of view is restricted to what you can see through that lens. If you wanted to view the scene from another angle, you could move the camera you are looking through, but then you would have to move it back again. Instead, you could create, orient, and look through a second camera. Its the same in Maya. Whatever part of a scene you see depends on the camera you are looking through. You can also use the Look Through Selected option to look through a light or object. For example, if you look through a light you can display its exact area of illumination. You could also select an object such as a characters eyes and animate a scene through their view. When setting up output resolution, aspect ratio, and image planes, you should be aware of what each setting on the camera represents and how it relates to the real world. Focal length The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance from the lens to the film plane. The shorter the focal length, the closer the focal plane is to the back of the lens. Lenses are identified by their focal length. Focal length is expressed in millimeters or, on occasion, in inches (1 inch is approximately 25mm). For every shot, you must decide how big an object is in the frame. For example, should a shot include an entire character or just its head and shoulders? There are two ways to make an object larger in the frame. You can either move the camera closer to the object or adjust the lens to a longer focal length. Focal length is directly proportional to the objects size in the frame. If you double the focal length (keeping the distance from the camera to the object constant), the subject appears twice as large in the frame. The size of the object in the frame is inversely proportional to the objects distance from the camera. If you double the distance, you reduce the size of the object by half in the frame.

Working with cameras Angle of view As you adjust the cameras focal length, the angle of view narrows and expands. This is what causes objects to get larger or smaller in the frame. As you extend the focal length, the angle of view gets narrower. As you shorten the focal length, the angle of view gets larger. Perspective Since there are two ways to change the size of objects in the frame, what is the difference between moving the camera and changing the focal length? Why choose one over the other? The answer is that by moving the camera, you change the perspective. Objects far from the camera change in relative size at a slower rate than objects which are close to the camera. When you change the focal length, or zoom, perspective does not change. All objects in the frame change size at the same rate. Perspective could be thought of as the rate that objects change in size in the frame as their distance from the camera changes. Camera aperture In a real camera, aperture is the film backs width and height in millimeters. The camera aperture relates to the focal length in that different film backs have different normal lenses. A normal lens has a focal length that is not telephoto or wide angle. It closely approximates normal vision. As the size of the camera aperture increases, a longer focal length is required to achieve normal perspective. For example, a 35mm camera uses a 50mm lens as a normal lens. On a 16mm camera, the same 50mm lens appears telephoto in nature. A 25mm lens is required to achieve normal perspective on a 16mm camera. This can be demonstrated in Maya by changing to different film backs without changing the focal length. The camera appears to zoom in and out with different film backs even though you are not changing focal length. For more information on camera tools and settings, see Using Maya: Rendering.
Creating a new camera

By default, a new scene has four cameras: a perspective camera (persp), and three orthographic cameras (top, front, side). If you change a view by either tumbling, tracking, dollying, or zooming in and out, you are still looking at the scene or object through the same camera. To look at the scene or object through a second camera, first change the view, then create the camera (Panels > Perspective > New). For more information on saving camera views, see "Marking a view" on page 66. To create a new camera: Select Create > Cameras and select a camera.
Camera Camera and Aim Camera, Aim, and Up
Creates a a one-node camera, which is a basic camera. Creates a two-node camera, which is a basic camera plus an aim-vector control for aiming the camera at a specified look at point. Creates a three-node camera, which is a basic camera with the aim-vector control plus an up-vector control for rotating the camera.

Working with cameras You can use the Attributes Editor to change the camera type after it has been created. For details, see "Camera Attribute Editor" on page 54.
Setting Camera options

Before you create a camera, you can set its properties in the Create Camera options window. To set camera options: Select Create > Cameras > Camera Type , where Type is the type of camera. The options for the various cameras are described below. The camera viewing tools (tumble, track, and dolly) use this value to determine the look at point when the camera is a one-node camera. Camera Properties The camera viewing tools (tumble, track, and dolly) use this value to determine the look at point when the camera is a one-node camera.
Center of Interest
The distance from the camera to the center of interest, measured in the scenes linear working unit. Lens Properties
Focal Length
Also available in the cameras Attribute Editor. The focal length of the camera, measured in millimeters. Increasing the Focal Length zooms the camera in and increases the size of objects in the cameras view. Decreasing the Focal Length zooms the camera out and decreases the size of objects in the cameras view. The valid range is 2.5 to 3500. The default value is 35.
Lens Squeeze Ratio
The amount the cameras lens compresses the image horizontally. Most cameras do not compress the image they record, and their Lens Squeeze Ratio is 1. Some cameras (for example, anamorphic cameras), however, compress the image horizontally to record a large aspect ratio (wide) image onto a square area on film. The default value is 1. Scales the size of the camera relative to the scene. For example, if Camera Scale is 0.5, the cameras view covers an area half as large, but objects in the cameras view are twice as large. If the Focal Length is 35, the effective focal length for the camera would be 70. Film Back Properties
Camera Scale
Horizontal Film Aperture, Vertical Film Aperture
The height and width of the cameras aperture or film back, measured in inches. The Camera Aperture determines the relationship between Focal Length and Angle of View. The default values are 1.417 and 0.945.

Horizontal Film Offset, Vertical Film Offset
Vertically and horizontally offsets the resolution gate and the film gate relative to the scene. Changing the Film Offset produces a two-dimensional track. Film Offset is measured in inches. The default setting is 0. Controls the size of the resolution gate relative to the film gate. If the resolution gate and the film gate has the same aspect ratio, then the Film Fit setting has no effect. The default setting is Fill. See the following table.
Film Fit
Fill Horizontal Vertical Overscan
Fits the resolution gate within the film gate. Fits the resolution gate horizontally within the film gate. Fits the resolution gate vertically within the film gate. Fits the film gate within the resolution gate.
You can also set Film Fit in the camera views View > Camera Settings sub-menu.
Film Fit Offset
Offsets the resolution gate relative to the film gate either vertically (if Film Fit is Horizontal) or horizontally (if Film Fit is Vertical). Film Fit Offset has no effect if Film Fit is Fill or Overscan. Film Fit Offset is measured in inches. The default setting is 0. Scales the size of the scene in the cameras view only, not in the rendered image. Adjust the Overscan value to see more or less of the scene than will actually render. If you have view guides displayed, changing the Overscan value will change the amount of space surrounding the view guides, making them easier to see. The default value is 1.
Overscan
The view guide fills the view. The edges of the view guide may be exactly aligned with the edges of the view, in which case the view guide will not be visible. The higher the value, the more space is outside the view guide.
>1
Clipping Planes
Near Clip Plane, Far Clip Plane
Represents the distance of the near and far clipping planes from either the perspective or orthographic cameras. Near and far clipping planes are imaginary planes located at two particular distances from the camera along the cameras sight line. Only objects between a cameras two clipping planes are visible in that cameras view. Any objects in the scene closer to the camera than the near clipping plane, or farther from the camera than the far clipping plane, are not visible.

Notes If part of an object is in front of the near clipping plane, then only the part of the object beyond the near clipping plane will be visible. If part of an object is beyond the far clipping plane, the entire object will be visible, including the part beyond the far clipping plane. If the distance between the near and far clipping planes is much larger than is required to contain all the objects in the scene, the image quality of some objects may be poor. Set the Near Clip Plane and Far Clip Plane attributes to the lowest value that produces the desired result. The objects you want to render are usually within a certain range from the camera. Setting the near and far clipping planes just slightly beyond the limits of the objects in the scene can help reduce rendering times. By default, Auto Render Clip Plane is on, and the Near Clip Plane and Far Clip Plane values do not determine the position of the clipping planes for software rendering. The default setting for Near Clip Plane is 0.1 and for Far Clip Plane is 1000.
Important Note Setting Near Clip Plane to 0.1 (a float) and Far Clip Plane to 100000 (a large integer) may result in quality problems. Motion Blur
Shutter Angle
Motion Blur must be set on in the Render Globals window and in at least one objects Attribute Editor for the Shutter Angle to have any effect. Shutter Angle is measured in degrees. The valid range is 1 to 360. The default value is 144. The Shutter Angle controls the blurriness of motion blurred objects. In a real-world camera, the shutter is actually a metal disk that is missing a pie-shaped section. This disk sits between the lens and the film, and rotates at a constant rate. When the missing section is in front of the film, it allows light from the lens to pass through and expose the film. The larger the angle of the pie-shaped section, the longer the exposure time, and more blurry moving objects appear. Orthographic Views By default, when you create a camera from the Create menu, the view is perspective. If you want an orthographic camera view, click the Orthographic check box and change the Orthographic Width if necessary. The Orthographic Views attributes control whether a camera is perspective or orthographic (top, front, or side), and also lets you control the field of view for orthographic cameras. See also Orthographic Views.
Orthographic
If on, the camera is an orthographic camera. If off, the camera is a perspective camera. Orthographic is off by default.

Tip The default cameras are aligned to the major axis. You can create an offaxis orthographic camera by rotating the orthographic camera or changing the default tumble options and using the tumble tool.
Orthographic Width
The width (in inches) of the orthographic camera. The width of an orthographic camera controls how much of a scene the camera can see. Changing the width of an orthographic camera has the same effect as zooming a perspective camera.
Tip If you want to create a new perspective camera and get out of orthographic view mode, select Edit > Reset Settings and click the Apply button.
Moving the camera

You can move a camera to get a different view of the object without creating a new camera. To move the current view camera, you can use the View > Camera Tools menu or the mouse with the Alt key. You can also display the camera as an object in your workspace and use the camera manipulators to move it. For more information on camera manipulators, see "Displaying camera manipulator controls" on page 128. To display the current camera as an object, select Display > Show > Cameras. It may be easier to work with the camera as an object when you are moving through a scene and you want to see the cameras path. To use a camera tool: Press the Alt key and drag the appropriate mouse button(s). See "Camera tools" on page 49. or Select the tool you want to use from the View > Camera Tools menu and drag the left (or middle) mouse button. See "Camera tools" on page 49. or Select the tools option box () from the View > Camera Tools menu, set the options and drag the left (or middle) mouse button. For details on camera tool options, see "Camera tools" on page 49.
Note To select the Roll, Zoom, Azimuth Elevation, and Yaw-Pitch tools, use the View > Camera Tools menu. You cannot select these tools with the mouse and the Alt key.

Tips If you change the default settings in the camera tool options windows, remember to press the Reset Tool button to reset the tool defaults for the next operation. If you want to keep the settings for a particular camera operation, MMBdrag the camera tool setting icon from the mini bar into the Shelf and click this icon for specific operations. Select View > Default Home if you zoom and tumble the view repeatedly and then need to see the default cameras view.
Camera tools
Tumble Tool
Revolves the camera by varying the azimuth and elevation angles in the perspective window. You can also press Alt and the left mouse button. Press the Shift key to constrain the camera movement. The Tumble Tool options are as follows:
Tumble scale Tumble camera about
Scales the speed of the camera movement. The slider range is 0.01 to 10. The default value is 1.
Center of Interest Tumble Pivot
The camera tumbles about its center of interest. Tumble camera about is set to Center of interest by default. The camera tumbles about its pivot point. This tumble pivot can also be set in the cameras Attribute Editor (see Tumble Pivot for details).These values are stored in world space coordinates.
View operations such as Frame Selection, Frame All, Look at Selection, Default Home, and Bookmarks all set the tumble pivot.
Orthographic views Locked Stepped
If on, you cannot tumble an orthographic camera. If off, you can tumble an orthographic camera. Locked is on by default. If on, you can tumble an orthographic camera in discrete steps. The Stepped operation lets you easily return to the Default Home positions. If off, you can tumble an orthographic camera smoothly. Stepped is only available if Locked is off. Stepped is on by default. The angle of steps (in degrees) that you can tumble an orthographic camera when Locked is off and Stepped is on. The valid range is 0.01 to 180. The default value is 5.
Ortho step
Track Tool
When tracking across the display, it slides the view either horizontally or vertically. You can also press Alt and the middle mouse button. Press the Shift key to constrain movement in horizontal or vertical directions. The Track Tool options are as follows:

Track Geometry
If off, as the camera moves an object moves at a speed that may be different than the speed of the cursor. This problem occurs with objects far from the camera. Track Geometry is off by default. If on, as the camera moves, an object moves at the same speed as the cursor. The object selected at the beginning of the Track operation remains under the cursor.Tracking will be slower (especially if there are many objects in the scene) if Track Geometry is on.
Track Scale
Scales the speed of the camera movement. The slider range is 0 to 100. The default value is 1.
Dolly Tool
Moves into or away from the view. You can also press Alt and the left and middle mouse buttons together. You can use the Dolly tool in both a perspective or orthographic view. Use Ctrl-Alt-LMB to drag a marquee in the area in which you want to dolly. The Dolly Tool options are as follows:
Scale Dolly
Local
If on, drag in the cameras view to move the camera toward or away from its center of interest. If off, drag in the cameras view to move both the camera and its center of interest along the cameras sight line. Local is on by default. If Center of Interest is on, MMB-drag in the cameras view to move the cameras center of interest toward or away from the camera. If off, drag in the cameras view to move the camera toward or away from its center of interest. LMB-marquee a region and snap the center of interest to the center of those objects.Center of Interest is off by default. If Center of Interest (and/or Local) and Bounding box are on, when you drag in the views, a red line with a small x at the end points to indicate the Center of Interest.
Center of Interest
Snap box dolly to
A box dolly moves the center of interest to the marquee region when you use the Ctrl-Alt-drag method to dolly the camera.
Surface
If on, when you perform a box dolly (Ctrl-drag) on an object, the center of interest moves onto the surface of the object.Calculating the surface point will be slower if Smooth Shade mode is off (and especially if there are many visible objects in the scene). If on, when you perform a box dolly (Ctrl-drag) on an object, the center of interest moves to the center of the objects bounding box. Bounding Box is on by default.
Bounding box

Zoom Tool
Changes the focal length on a camera. Zooming in is like using a telephoto lens. Zooming out is like using a wide angle lens. You can use zoom in both a perspective or orthographic view. To move in or out without changing the viewing angle, use the Dolly tool. The Zoom Tools options are as follows:
Zoom Scale
Roll Tool
Rotates the display around its horizontal axis. The Roll Tools options are as follows:
Roll Scale
Azimuth Elevation Tool

Revolves the camera about the center of interest in the perspective view. (The angle of a cameras sight line relative to the ground plane is also referred to as its elevation; the angle of a cameras sight line relative to a plane perpendicular to the ground plane is also referred to as its azimuth.) The Azimuth Elevation Tools options are as follows:
Scale Rotation type
Scales the speed of the camera movement. The slider range is 0.01 to 10. The default value is 1. Controls whether the camera movement is an Azimuth Elevation movement or a Yaw Pitch movement.
Tip Press Shift to constrain the cameras movement.
Yaw Pitch Tool

Changes from an orthographic view to a perspective view. Tilting a camera means rotating the camera up or down; panning a camera means rotating the camera left or right. The scene in the cameras view moves in the opposite direction. (The angle of rotation up or down is also referred to as pitch; the angle of rotation left or right is also referred to as yaw.) The Yaw Pitch Tools options are as follows:
Scale Rotation type
Scales the speed of the camera movement. The slider range is 0.01 to 10. The default value is 1. Controls whether the camera movement is a Yaw Pitch movement or an Azimuth Elevation movement.
Tip Press Shift to constrain the cameras movement.

Fly Tool
The Fly Tool lets you navigate your scene as if you were playing a 3D first-person perspective game. The camera flies through your scene without being constrained by any geometry. To use the Fly Tool, press-and-hold the Ctrl key, then drag with the left mouse button. Drag up to fly forward and down to fly backward. To change the camera direction, release the Ctrl key and drag the left mouse button.
Note The tumble, track, and dolly commands are available while the Fly Tool is active.
Looking through a camera

If you have more than one camera, you can switch which camera you view your scene through. To look through a camera: 1 2 3 Select Panels > Perspective. Select a camera. Select Panels > Look Through Selected.
Note You can also use the Look Through Selected command to view your scene from the point of view of a selected light or object.
Tip You can also use the Hypergraph to select a view. In the Hypergraph window, select the name of a view, then select Panel > Look Through Selected. For more information, see "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263. To look at selected objects: Select View > Look At Selection. The camera tilts and pans until selected objects are in the center of the cameras view. To look at and fill the view with selected objects: Select View > Frame Selection (or press the hotkey f). The camera tracks and dollies until selected objects fill the cameras view. To look at and fill the view with all objects in a scene: Select View > Frame All (or press the hotkey a). The camera tracks and dollies until all objects in the scene (including lights and cameras, if their icons are displayed in the view) fill the cameras view.

Working with cameras To look at and fill the view with a region of a scene: Ctrl-Alt-drag over the region. The camera tracks and dollies and the selected region fills the cameras view.
Changing camera settings

To change camera settings, select View > Camera Settings and select one of the following settings:
Perspective Journal
Turn Perspective on so that the camera uses a perspective view. This means that the lines converge at infinity. If turned off, the camera uses an orthographic view. Turn Journal on to copy camera view actions, such as tumble, track, and zoom, to the MEL journal making the commands undoable. Normally, the camera command view actions are not copied to the MEL journal and they are not undoable. For more information on the MEL journal, see Using Maya: MEL. Displays no frustrum. This is the default. Displays the viewable frustum according to the film back size. The aspect ratio of the window (or rendering resolution) determines what you actually see. Also sets the camera Overscan attribute to 1.5. The following illustration shows the film gate representing the maximum viewable (or renderable) area.
No Gate Film Gate
Film Back Gate
Resolution Gate
Displays the renderable frustum for the current resolution specified in Render Globals. This often specifies a more exact rendered image than the Film Gate option. Also sets the camera Overscan attribute to 2.0.
Note If the aspect ratio between the film back and the resolution is the same, then the two resulting rendered images match.
Field Chart
Turn Field Chart on to display a grid that represents the twelve standard cell animation field sizes. The largest field size (number 12) is identical to the rendering resolution (the resolution gate). Render Resolution must be set to NTSC dimensions for this option to have meaning.

Safe Action
Turn this option on to display a box defining the region that you should keep all of your scenes action within if you plan to display the rendered images on a television screen. The safe action view guide represents 90% of the rendered resolution (the resolution gate). Render Resolution must be set to NTSC dimensions for this option to have meaning. Turn this option on to display a box defining region that you should keep titles (text) within if you plan to display the rendered images on a television screen. The safe title region represents 80% of the rendered resolution (the resolution gate). Render Resolution must be set to NTSC dimensions for this option to have meaning. Automatically selects a horizontal or vertical fit so that the selected image fills the render frame. Selects a horizontal fit for the selected image in the render frame. Selects a vertical fit for the selected image in the render frame. Selects a slightly larger fit for the selected image in the render frame.
Safe Title
Fill Horizontal Vertical Overscan
Camera Attribute Editor

After you create a camera, you can adjust its settings by changing attributes in the Attribute Editor. Select the camera you want to change then open the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor). Depending on the camera you select, you can also open its Attribute Editor by selecting View > Camera Attribute Editor from any panels View menu.
Tip If you click the boxes at the right of some of the attributes in this editor, the Create Render Node window displays which means you can map certain render nodes to the camera attributes. The following camera attributes are described in Setting Camera options. See: Focal Length Camera Scale Near Clip Plane, Far Clip Plane
Auto Render Clip Plane

If on, Maya automatically sets the near and far clipping planes so they enclose all objects within the cameras view. All objects render and depth precision problems are eliminated. Clipping planes are only available to the software renderer (not visible in the views). If off, the near and far clipping planes are set to the Near Clip Plane and Far Clip Plane values. Auto Render Clip Plane is on by default. In some cases you should turn off Auto Render Clip Plane: to ensure frames rendered from Maya 3.0 exactly match frames rendered from Maya 4.0 to limit which objects will render based on their distance from the camera

Film Back
The Film Back attributes control the basic properties of a camera (for example, the cameras film format: 16mm, 35mm, 70mm). The following Film Back attributes are described in Setting Camera options. See:
Film Gate
Lens Squeeze Ratio Film Fit Film Fit Offset Overscan Lets you select a preset camera type. Maya automatically sets the Camera Aperture, Film Aspect Ratio, and Lens Squeeze Ratio. To set these attributes individually, set Film Gate to User. The default setting is User. The height and width of the cameras aperture or film back, measured in inches. The Camera Aperture determines the relationship between Focal Length and Angle of View. The default values are 1.417 and 0.945. The ratio of the camera apertures width to its height. Maya automatically updates the Film Aspect Ratio (and vice versa). The valid range is 0.01 to 10. The default value is 1.5. Vertically and horizontally offsets the resolution gate and the film gate relative to the scene. Changing the Film Offset produces a two-dimensional track. Film Offset is measured in inches. The default setting is 0.
Camera Aperture
Film Aspect Ratio
Film Offset
The view guide fills the view. The edges of the view guide may be exactly aligned with the edges of the view, in which case the view guide will not be visible. The higher the value, the more space is outside the view guide.
>1
Depth of Field
These attributes provide control over the cameras focus.
Tip The more out of focus an image is, the longer it takes to generate the final rendered image (that is, the post-render blur will take longer.)
Depth Of Field
If on, some objects in the scene are sharply focused and others are blurred or out of focus, based on their distance from the camera. If off, all objects in the scene are sharply focused. Depth Of Field is off by default. The distance from the camera at which objects appear in sharp focus, measured in the scenes linear working unit. Decreasing the Focus Distance also decreases the depth of field. The valid range is 0 to . The default value is 5.
Focus Distance

F Stop
The range of distances from the camera within which objects appear in sharp focus (the depth of field). The range of distances is centered on the Focus Distance. The range is smaller toward the camera and larger away from the camera. The valid range is 1 (small depth of field) to 64 (large depth of field). The default value is 5.6. Scales the Focus Distance value. The valid range is 0 to . The default value is 1.
Focus Region Scale
Output Settings
Control whether a camera generates an image during rendering, and what types of images the camera renders.
Renderable
If on, the camera can create an image file, mask file, and/or depth file during rendering. By default, Renderable is on for the default perspective camera, and off for all other cameras.
Note Changing the Camera attribute in the Image File Output section of the Render Globals window can change the Renderable setting in a cameras Attribute Editor.
Image Mask
If on (and Renderable is on), the camera creates an image file during rendering. The default setting is on. If on (and Renderable is on), the camera creates a mask during rendering. A mask is an 8-bit channel (the alpha channel) in the image file that represents objects in shades of gray. Black areas represent areas where there are no objects (or fully transparent objects), and white areas represent areas where there are (solid) objects. Masks are used primarily for compositing.
Note If the Image Format in the Render Globals window is not set to Maya IFF, Maya16 IFF, RLA, SGI, Tiff, or Tiff16, the camera does not include the mask information in the alpha channel of the image file. Instead, it creates a separate mask file. See also the Render Globals chapter in the Using Maya: Rendering book.
Depth
If on (and Renderable is on), the camera creates a depth file during rendering. A depth file is a type of image file that represents the distance of objects from the camera by shades of gray. Depth files are used primarily for compositing. When on, the Depth Type attributes (next) are enabled. Determines which objects Maya uses to create the Depth file.
Closest Visible Depth
Depth Type
Uses the closest object to the camera. When transparent objects are located in front of other objects, turn on Transparency Based Depth to ignore the transparent object. Most often used when a Particle Effect is occluded by an opaque object. Maya uses the Furthest Visible Depth to create a Depth file.
Furthest Visible Depth

Transparency Based Depth
Turns on Threshold, which determines which object is closest to the camera, based on transparency. Transparency Based Depth is only enabled when you select Closest Visible Depth.
Tip When transparent objects are located in front of other objects, you can turn on Transparency Based Depth to ignore the transparent object.
Threshold
Used when compositing multiple layers of transparency (which varies from 0 to 1). For example, if Threshold is 0.9 (the default), when transparent surfaces add up to 0.9 or larger, the surface becomes opaque.
Environment
Control the appearance of the scenes background as seen from the camera. Different cameras can use different backgrounds.
Background Color Image Plane
The color of the scenes background. The default color is black. Creates an image plane and attaches it to the camera. Clicking the Create button automatically changes the focus of the Attribute Editor to include attributes for an image plane. See the Using Maya: Rendering book for details about Image Plane attributes.
Special Effects
Shutter Angle
Controls the blurriness of motion blurred objects. In a real-world camera, the shutter is actually a metal disk that is missing a pieshaped section. This disk sits between the lens and the film, and rotates at a constant rate. When the missing section is in front of the film, it allows light from the lens to pass through and expose the film. The larger the angle of the pie-shaped section, the longer the exposure time, and moving objects are more blurred. Shutter Angle is measured in degrees. The valid range is 1 to 360. The default value is 144.
Important Note Motion Blur must be on in the Render Globals window and in at least one objects Attribute Editor for the Shutter Angle to have any effect.
Display Options
Controls the display of view guides in the cameras view, and provides options for moving the camera. You can also access most of these attributes in any panels View > Camera Settings pull-out menu.
Display Film Gate
Displays a rectangle that indicates the area of the cameras view that a real-world camera would record on film. The dimensions of the film gate represent the dimensions of the camera aperture. The film gate view guide indicates the area of the cameras view that will render only if the aspect ratios of the camera aperture and rendering resolution are the same. See also Film Gate.

Setting a perspective view
Display Resolution
Displays a rectangle that indicates the area of the cameras view that will render. The dimensions of the resolution gate represent the rendering resolution. The rendering resolution values are displayed above the resolution gate. See also the Using Maya: Rendering book. Displays a grid that represents the twelve standard cel animation field sizes. The largest field size (number 12) is identical to the rendering resolution (the resolution gate). See also the Using Maya: Rendering book. Displays a rectangle indicating the region in which all of the scenes action takes place if you plan to display the rendered images on a television screen. The safe action view guide represents 90% of the rendering resolution (the resolution gate). See also the Using Maya: Rendering book. Displays a rectangle indicating the region in which to keep titles (text) if you plan to display the rendered images on a television screen. The safe title view guide represents 80% of the rendering resolution (the resolution gate). See also the Using Maya: Rendering book. If on, all camera movements are written to the Script Editor and become part of the undo queue which lets you undo or redo them. This also lets you copy camera movements and use them for other cameras or scenes. If off, you cannot undo or redo camera movements. Use Previous View or Next View instead. Journal Command is off by default.
Display Field Chart
Display Safe Action
Display Safe Title
Journal Command
Center of Interest Tumble Pivot
The distance from the camera to the center of interest, measured in the scenes linear working unit. The point the Tumble tool pivots the camera about when Tumble Camera About is set to Tumble Pivot in the Tumble Tool settings window.
Orthographic Views
When you create a camera from the Create menu, the default view is perspective. If you want an orthographic camera view, click the Orthographic check box and change the Orthographic Width if necessary. The Orthographic Views attributes also let you control the field of view for orthographic cameras. See Orthographic and Orthographic Width for attribute descriptions.
SETTING A PERSPECTIVE VIEW

Each workspace view is linked to a camera that looks at your scene. The cameras position, orientation, and attributes determine what you see through that particular camera. This is a perspective view. Unlike an orthographic view, a perspective view shows depth. You can switch to a perspective view and you can create new perspective views.

Setting an orthographic view To switch to a perspective view: Select Panels > Perspective and select the appropriate camera view.
Creating new perspective views

When building an object or scene, it is often useful to view the object from several different perspectives. Use the Panels > Perspective > New option to create a new perspective camera. To create a new perspective camera view: 1 Change the view of the object. For example, if you want to tumble the display, press the Alt key and use the left mouse button to drag the view. 2 Select Panels > Perspective > New. Maya creates a new camera in the default home perspective position. To view through the original perspective camera, select View > Previous View or View > Default Home. To view through the new perspective camera, select Panels > Perspective and select the new perspective view.
Name of the new perspective view
SETTING AN ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEW

An orthographic camera shows the 3D workspace from the top, front, and side views. These views offer the most analytical view of the world space. However, they do not show depth. You can switch to an orthographic view and you can create new orthographic views. To switch to an orthographic view: Select Panels > Orthographic and select front, side, or top as the active camera view.
Creating new orthographic views

When building an object or scene, it is often useful to view the object from the top, front, or sides. Use the Panels > Orthographic > New option to create a new orthographic camera view. For example, you may want a zoomed in top view.

Lighting your scene To create a new orthographic view: 1 2 Select Panels > Orthographic > New and select a new view: Front, Side, or Top. Maya creates the view. Select Panels > Orthographic. The view you just created appears in the Orthographic menu.
New orthographic view
LIGHTING YOUR SCENE

Use commands on the Lighting menu to select which lights or groups of lights to use in your scene. These options include:
Use Default Lighting
Lights the scene using only a single point light situated at the camera.
Use All Lights
Uses all lights in the scene, to a maximum of eight lights. This option gives you a representation of what the lights will look like when the image is rendered.
Note This option does not include the default light. If there are no lights in the scene, the scene renders as an all black image.
Use Selected Lights
Uses only selected lights. If you change the light selection, the lighting also changes respectively. Select this option to use the lights selected with the Specify Selected Lights option. This option is grayed until you choose Specify Selected Lights. If you select a different set of lights when this option is selected, the scene will still use the previously selected lights.
Use Previously Specified Lights
Note This menu item can be turned off by picking any of the items above it.
Two Sided Lighting
Turn this option on to illuminate both sides of an object. Note that Mayas performance may decrease on some systems.

Arranging views
Specify Selected Lights
Lets you use a preset selection of lights. Select the lights you want to use then select Specify Selected Lights. Once specified, turn on Lighting > Use Previously Specified Lights to use this light selection. Unlike Use Selected Lights, if you change the light selection, the scene will still use the previously selected lights. For additional information on lighting, see Using Maya: Rendering.
ARRANGING VIEWS
You can use the Quick Layout buttons in the Tool Box to select a different view or to switch to another layout. See "Using the Quick Layout buttons" on page 63. You can also use the Panels menu to change a camera view or to view a scene or object through a selected camera.
.
Perspective Orthographic
Lets you change to a perspective view or create a new perspective view. For details, see "Creating new perspective views" on page 59. Lets you change to an orthographic view or create a new orthographic view. For details, see "Creating new orthographic views" on page 59. Lets you look through a selected camera, object, or light. For details, see "Looking through a camera" on page 52.
Look Through Selected
Panel
Displays a menu with the following commands.

Outliner
Opens the Outliner, where you can view objects and their attributes hierarchically. For more information, see "Using the Outliner" on page 249. Opens the Graph Editor where you can edit visual representations of keys and animation curves (keysets). For more information, see Using Maya: Animation. Opens the Dope Sheet, where you can edit event and sound synchronization and timing. For more information, see Using Maya: Animation. Opens the Trax Editor, where you can create and edit timeindependent clips of character animation. For more information, see Using Maya: Animation. Opens the Hypergraph, which gives you an overview of your entire scene, all objects it contains, and the relationships between those objects. For more information, see "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 61
Graph Editor
Dope Sheet
Trax Editor
Hypergraph

Arranging views
Hypershade
Opens the Hypershade, which you can use to create and edit rendering nodes, and to view and edit rendering (or shading) networks. For more information, see Using Maya: Rendering. Opens the Visor, which you can use to show images of shading nodes you can create, those already in your scene, and those in online libraries, in a visual outline form. For more information, see Using Maya: Rendering. Opens the UV Texture Editor window, which you use to map textures to a polygonal model. For more information, see Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling. Opens the Render View window, where you can test render single frames and interactively tune rendering attributes. For more information, see Using Maya: Rendering. Lets you create character deformations. For more information, see Using Maya: Character Setup. Lets you view or edit connections between dynamics elements such as particle emitters, collisions, etc. For more information, see Using Maya: Dynamics. Lets you use external tools and plug-ins for special devices, such as Motion Capture. Opens the Relationship Editor, which you can use to group and manipulate objects as sets and assign shading groups to geometry. For more information, see "Using the Relationship Editor" on page 217. Opens the Reference Editor, which you can use to specify settings for importing files by reference. For more information, see "Using the Reference Editor" on page 181. Opens the Component Editor, which you can use to specify settings for importing files by reference. For more information, see "Using the Component Editor" on page 209. Opens the Paint Effects Panel, where you can interactively render strokes without rendering the rest of the scene. New strokes render as you paint them in this view. For more information, see Using Maya: Painting.
Visor
UV Texture Editor
Render View
Blend Shape Dynamic Relationships
Devices Relationship Editor
Reference Editor
Component Editor
Paint Effects
Layouts Saved Layouts Tear Off
Lets you specify how different camera views are arranged spatially in the Maya window. Lets you select a panel layout. For more information, see "Selecting panel layouts" on page 370. Moves the current camera view into a separate window. The current view is replaced with the next view in the Panels list (to see this list, select Panels > Panel Editor). Copies the current camera view into a separate window.
Tear Off Copy

Arranging views
Panel Editor
Opens the Panel window, where you can create new panels, re-label existing panels, rename layouts, and change layout configurations. For more information, see "Using the Panel Editor" on page 367.
Using the Quick Layout buttons

You can use the Quick Layout buttons, located in the Tool Box, to select a different panel or to switch to another layout.
Single Perspective View Four View Persp/Outliner Persp/Graph Hypershade/Persp Persp/Graph/Hypergraph Panel/Layout
To change the view or layout: Click one of the Quick Layout buttons in the Tool Box. The Panel/Layout button changes based on the layout and view configuration you select from the Tool Box as well as from submenus in the Panels and Window menus. For example, if you select Four View, four arrow buttons appear, one for each panel. Click one of these arrow buttons to change a specific panel.
Four View of the Panel/Layout button
Use the Panel/Layout button to change a specific panel or to change the view arrangement. To change a specific panel: 1 2 Click the Panel/Layout arrow button that corresponds to the panel. Select an option from the pop-up menu to change that panel. To change the view arrangement: 1 2 Right-click the Panel/Layout button. Select a view arrangement from the pop-up menu.
Note You can right-click any of the first six Quick Layout buttons to open the Saved Layouts pop-up menu and select a different layout, such as Four View or Hypershade/Outliner/Persp. The icon changes to represent the selection.

Arranging views
Note You can change the icon image of any of the first six Quick Layout buttons. This is especially useful for custom layouts. You can select one of Mayas default images or a customized image file. For information, see To change the icon image of a Quick Layout button: To change the icon image of a Quick Layout button: 1 2 Right-click the Panel/Layout button. Select Change Image from the pop-up menu. The Quick Layout Image Editor dialog box appears.
Select an icon image from the scroll list. or Click Browse to look for and select an icon image.
Click Save when done. The icon image is saved with the layout.
Displaying the workspace only

Select the following options on the Display > UI Elements submenu to quickly display only the workspace.
Hide UI Elements Restore UI Elements
Temporarily hides all UI elements except the workspace panels. For example, you can maximize the scene view while working on detailed models. Displays the UI elements that were hidden.
Laying out the views

Because much of your 3D work takes place in a modeling view window, you want to be able to view an object from the top, front, side, and in perspective. In 3D, it is sometimes difficult to see exactly where an object lies. The four views enable you to confirm the positioning of objects from more than one camera angle. Use the Window > View Arrangement option to control how Maya displays the four basic views. The top, front, and side views are 2D orthographic views that allow you to view your work analytically. The fourth view is perspective and allows you to view the scene in 3D. You can also access the same view arrangement settings from the Panels > Layouts option and by right-clicking the Panel/Layout button in the Tool Box.

Arranging views You can place any tool in a view. For more information, see "Creating layouts" on page 371. In the following example, the display is changed to a 3 Left Split layout. To set the views: Select Panels > Layouts or select Window > View Arrangement and select the view layout you want. or Right-click the Panel/Layout button in the Tool Box and select the view layout you want. For example, if you select 3 Left Split, you get the following view layout.
Note If you want one view to occupy the entire Maya window, select the view, then press the space bar quickly. (If you press the space bar for too long, Maya displays the HotBox.) To rename and delete a camera, use the Outliner. See "Using the Outliner" on page 249.

Marking a view
MARKING A VIEW
You can use bookmarks to mark a view for future use. This lets you maintain a variety of camera views for any scene. Maya has four predefined bookmarks: Perspective, Front, Top, and Side. You can change your view to any of these predefined bookmarks, or you can create your own bookmarks.
Note Bookmarks are defined for specific views, such as Persp, Top, Side, or Front. Therefore the bookmark is unique to and is only available when youre in that view.
Note You cannot change positions for the predefined bookmarks. Changing the view to a predefined bookmark: Select View > Predefined Bookmarks and select the default view you want to change to.
Creating a bookmark
You can create your own bookmarks to mark views other than Perspective, Front, Top, and Side. To create a new bookmark: 1 2 Select an object and change the view. Select View > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks. The Bookmark Editor opens.
Type new bookmark name here
3 4 5
In the Name box, type the new bookmark name and then press Enter. Type a description of the view in the Description box. Close the Bookmark Editor.

Marking a view
Tip To create a bookmark with a system-assigned name, select View > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks and click New Bookmark. Maya assigns the view to the first bookmark under the name cameraView1. To delete a bookmark: 1 2 Select View > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks. The Bookmark Editor opens. Select the bookmark you want to delete and click the Delete button.
Selecting custom bookmarks

If you have created view bookmarks, you can select them as follows. To view bookmarks: Select View > Bookmarks and select the bookmark you want to view the object through.
Renaming a bookmark
You can rename bookmarks at any time. To rename a bookmark: 1 2 3 Select View > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks. The Bookmark Editor opens. Select the bookmark you want to change. In the Name box, change the bookmark name then press Enter. The modified bookmark appears in the Bookmarks menu.
Adding a bookmark to a shelf

You can add any bookmark to a shelf for easy access. To add a bookmark to a shelf: 1 2 3 Select the shelf you want to add the bookmark to. Select View > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks. The Bookmark Editor opens. Select the bookmark you want to add to the shelf and click the Add To Shelf button. The bookmark is added to the shelf. It appears as a MEL command.
Note The bookmark button will only work if you are in the view in which the bookmark view can operate.

Enabling and disabling nodes
ENABLING AND DISABLING NODES

You can disable animation nodes in your scene to improve playback speed while you view animations. For example, suppose you create a scene that includes a keyframed bouncing ball in addition to several particle emitters. Because particle emission requires much processing time, your animation playback may be slow. You can disable particle nodes to temporarily disable the emitted particles. This makes the animation of the bouncing ball play faster, so the balls motion more closely resembles the final rendered motion. To enable or disable nodes, select Modify > Enable Nodes and then select any of the following options:
Enable All Disable All IK Solvers Constraints Expressions Global Stitch Particles Rigid Bodies Snapshots
Turns on all the nodes in the list. Turns off all the nodes in the list. Turns IK Solvers on or off. See Using Maya: Character Setup for more information on inverse kinematic tools. Turns Constraints on or off. See Using Maya: Character Setup for more information on basic constraints. Turns Expressions on or off. See Using Maya: Expressions for more information. Turns Global Stitch on or off. See Using Maya: NURBS Modeling for more information. Turns Particles on or off. See Using Maya: Dynamics for more information. Turns Rigid Bodies on or off. See Using Maya: Dynamics for more information. Turns Snapshots on or off. See Using Maya: NURBS Modeling for more information on Animation Snapshots.
EDITING OBJECTS
Use the Edit menu to delete, select, duplicate, group, and parent objects. This chapter describes how you edit objects in Maya. It also describes Mayas undo, redo, and repeat functions.
Note The following Edit menu option is not described in this chapter:
Keys Displays the available keys. For more information, see Using Maya:
Animation.
SELECTING OBJECTS
There are several ways to select objects in Maya. You can: select objects individually select all objects in the scene select objects of a specified type select objects of a specified name select all objects in a set select all objects in a display layer When you select objects, they become highlighted. Note that you can change the highlight color. For details, see "Changing default colors" on page 330.
Selecting objects individually

You can select objects individually from the scene, the Outliner, the Hypergraph, and the Relationship Editor. To select an object: Click on the object, or click-drag a box around it. or In the Outliner or Hypergraph, click on the object name. For information about the Outliner, see "Using the Outliner" on page 249. For information about the Hypergraph, see "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Selecting objects or In the Relationship Editor, highlight the object in the left panel and on the Edit menu, click Select Highlighted. For more information about the Relationship Editor, see "Using the Relationship Editor" on page 217.
Selecting multiple objects in a scene

Use the Lasso Tool or the Shift key to select multiple objects. To select more than one object in a scene: Shift-click on each object. The last selected object is highlighted with a different color than the other objects (default, green). or 1 2 Click the Lasso Tool in the Tool Box. The mouse pointer becomes a lasso. Drag the lasso around the desired objects.
Inverting a selection
Use Invert Selection to select all objects in the scene that are not selected. For example, if you select two of five objects in a scene, and then select Edit > Invert Selection, the other three objects are selected instead. Note this only works on objects, not components.
Selecting all objects in a scene

Use Select All on the Edit menu to select root objects and all visible dependency nodes in a scene. You can then treat them as a virtual group without actually having grouped them. To select all displayed objects: Select Edit > Select All. Maya selects all objects.
When you select a transformation tool, the manipulator for that tool displays on the last selected object (the one highlighted in a different color, default, green). When you transform the selection, the selected objects move as a group. To deselect all objects, click anywhere on the view.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Selecting objects
Selecting objects by type

Use Select All By Type to select all objects of a specific type. In the following example, we select all joints associated with the giraffe. To select all objects by type: 1 Select the object.
Select Edit > Select All by Type > Joints. Maya selects the joints on the object.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Deleting objects
Selecting objects by name

You can select objects and nodes by typing their name or a portion of the name. In the Numeric input field on the Status Line, choose Quick Selection from the pulldown menu and type the name. Using wildcard characters (* and ?), you can select several items with the same string in their names.
Numeric Input field on Status Line
Choose Quick Selection
Selecting all objects in a set

Edit > Quick Select Set is a fast way to select all objects in a particular set without having to open the Relationship Editor. For more information, see "Creating sets for quick selection" on page 304.
Selecting all objects in a display layer

To select all objects in a display layer, in the Layer Editor, select the desired layer and then select Layers > Select Objects in Selected Layer(s). For information about layers, see "Using layers" on page 130.
DELETING OBJECTS
Use the Delete, Delete by Type, and Delete All by Type options on the Edit menu to: delete single objects delete object components by type delete all objects by type
Deleting a single object

Use Edit > Delete to delete a selected object or component. In the following example, we delete a cylinder from the scene. To delete an object: 1 Select the object(s) you want to delete. To delete more than one object or component, Shift-click each object you want to delete, or click-drag a box around the object(s). 2 Select Edit > Delete. Maya removes the object and the associated Channel Box or Attribute Editor from the display.
Tip You can also delete selected objects with the Backspace or Delete keys on the keyboard.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Deleting objects
Deleting object components by type

Delete by Type lets you delete objects of a particular type or characteristic (for example, channels). If many objects are selected and you select Delete by Type > Channels, only the Channels attached to the selected objects are deleted. Similarly, if you select Delete by Type > History, any history nodes attached to the selected objects are deleted. You can delete the following component types: History Channels (channels that describe how the objects animation parameter changes values over time) Static Channels (channels that are not animated) Motion Paths Non-particle Expressions Constraints Sounds Rigid Bodies To delete an objects components: 1 2 Select the object with the component you want to delete. Select Edit > Delete by Type > componentType. For Channels, Static Channels and Expressions, the components are deleted according to the selected delete channel options. To specify delete options: 1 2
Hierarchy
Select Edit > Delete by Type > Channels , Static Channels , or Non-particle Expressions . The Delete Options window opens. Set the following options and click Save. To delete the component from the selected object only, choose Selected. To delete the component from the selected object and all objects below it in the DAG hierarchy, choose Below. To delete all channels attached to all the selected objects keyable attributes, select All Keyable. To delete channels attached to those attributes selected in the Channel Box, select From Channel Box. (Instead of Channels, this same option affects Expressions for Non-particle Expressions.) Turn this option on to delete driven channels attached to the selected objects set driven key attributes. Turn this option on to delete channels attached to lattice, polygon, and NURBS curves and surface CVs. If you select All Keyable, this is automatically turned on. The default is off. Removes the object's geometry channels. If you select All Keyable, this is automatically turned on. The default is off.
Channels
Driven Channels Control Points
Shapes
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Duplicating and instancing objects
Deleting all objects by type

Use Delete All Objects by Type to delete all occurrences of a type of object or component in the scene (for example, joints). To delete all objects by type: Select Edit > Delete All By Type > type. This deletes all of the selected type of components or objects in the scene.
DUPLICATING AND INSTANCING OBJECTS

There are two ways to copy objects: With the Duplicate optionMaya actually copies the geometry or lights in a scene. With instancesMaya just redisplays the geometry being instanced. Copies of the selected geometry are not created. Since instances are not actual copies of the original geometry, they take up less system memory than actual copies.
Duplicating objects
Use the Duplicate command to create copies of geometry or lights in a scene. You can duplicate more than one object at a time. You can duplicate objects as many times as you like. This means that you do not have to build a new object every time you need a copy.
Note To create more than one copy of the object at the same time, select Duplicate . For more information, see "Setting duplicating options" on page 74. To duplicate an object: 1 Select the object you want to duplicate. If you want to duplicate more than one object, click-drag a box around the objects or Shift-click the desired objects. 2 3 4 Select Edit > Duplicate. Maya positions the copy of the object behind the original object. You cannot see it until you move it. To move the duplicate object from behind the original, click the Move Tool on the Tool Box. The object displays four manipulators. Drag the object to move it from behind the original object. Maya deselects the original object. If you specified more than one copy (see "Setting duplicating options" on page 74), click on the original with the Move tool and drag the manipulators. Repeat until all copies appear in the view.
Setting duplicating options

Use the Duplicate Options window to position, scale, and rotate objects as you make copies. You can also specify how may copies are made.
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Duplicating and instancing objects Setting a duplicate option: 1 2 Select Edit > Duplicate . The Duplicate Options window opens. Set the following options and click Save. Specify the offset values for X, Y, and Z. Maya applies these values to the copied geometry. You can position, scale, or rotate objects as Maya duplicates them.
Translate, Rotate, Scale
Note The default for Translate and Rotate is 0.0000. The default for Scale is 1.0000. With the default values, Maya places the copy on top of the original geometry. You can specify offset values (positive or negative floating point) for translation, rotation, and scaling that are then applied to the copied geometry.
Number of Copies Geometry Type
Specify the number of copies to create. The range is from 1 to 1000. Select how you want the selected object(s) duplicated.
Copy Make a copy of the geometry being duplicated. Instance Create an instance of the geometry being duplicated. When you create an
instance, you do not create actual copies of the selected geometry. Instead, Maya redisplays the geometry being instanced. For more information, see "Creating instances of objects" on page 76.
Group under
Group objects under one of the following:

Parent Groups the selected objects under their lowest common parent in the
hierarchy.
World Groups the selected objects under the world (at the top level of the
hierarchy).
NewGroup Create a new group node for the duplicates. Smart Transform
Turn Smart Transform on so that when you duplicate and transform a single copy or instance of the object (without changing the selection), Maya applies the same transformations to all subsequent duplicates of the selected duplicate.
Tip As a shortcut for duplicating with Smart Transform on, use Edit > Duplicate with Transform.
Duplicate Upstream Graph
Turn this option on to force the duplication of all upstream nodes leading up to the selected object. Upstream nodes are defined as all nodes with connections feeding into selected nodes. For example, if A, B, and C are the upstream nodes connecting to D... A > B > C > D
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Duplicating and instancing objects ...and you select D and use the Duplicate Upstream Graph option, the resultant graph will be as follows: A1 > B1 > C1 > D1 (where A1, B1, C1, and D1 are duplicates of A, B, C, and D respectively).
Duplicate Input Connections
Turn this option on so that in addition to duplicating the selected node, the connections feeding into the selected node are also duplicated. For example, if A, B, and C are connections feeding into C... A > B > C ...and you select C and use the Duplicate Input Connections option, then the resultant graph will be as follows: A > B > C and A > B > C1 (where C1 is a duplicate of C).
Creating instances of objects

When you create an instance, you do not create actual copies of the selected geometry. Maya redisplays the geometry being instanced on the screen. An instance is always identical to the original geometry, although each object can have a unique translation, scaling, and rotation factor applied to it. Therefore, individual instances can be picked as objects independent of one another.
Note If you move a CV on the original geometry, it affects the shape of all instances of that object. Instanced geometry does not display CVs or hull structure. The form of an instance can only be altered from the original geometry. You can create several instanced copies of the original object, rather than just copying it. If you then make a change to the original object, all instanced copies automatically reflect the same change. Since instances are not actual copies of the original geometry, they take up less system memory than actual copies. In large or complex model scenes, instancing can speed up refresh time, reduce the size of data files, and improve rendering times. Limitations There are a few limitations when using instancing: Instanced lights have no effect. Instances share the same shader as the original geometry and cannot be assigned independent shaders. Some functions, such as extrude and insert, cannot be used on instanced items. In these cases, you must make a true copy of the instanced geometry that you want to manipulate, then continue with the function.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Duplicating and instancing objects You can only apply clusters and deformation frames to the original geometryyou cannot assign them independently to instances. To use clusters and deformations on copies, you must make a true copy of the geometry. There is always at least one non-instanced transformation node between the instance nodes and the actual geometry nodes. When you create an instance of an already instanced node, Maya does not create a new level. DAG nodes and instancing When Maya creates an instance, the top-level DAG node is the transformation node for the instance and the lower-level DAG node is the geometry node. The transformation node is independent of the original object that was instanced, but the geometry node is shared with the original object.
Sphere2, an instance of Sphere1, has two nodes: the transform node (independent) and the geometry node (shared with Sphere1)
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Working with groups
WORKING WITH GROUPS

Grouping makes it easier for you to apply an action to multiple objects. Use the Group, Ungroup, and Create Empty Group options to: group objects ungroup objects create empty groups (groups with null objects)
Grouping objects
Group a number of objects into a more complex object so that transformations can be applied to all of them at oncein effect, treating many objects as a single object for transformation purposes. To group objects together: 1 2 Select the objects you want to group together. Select Edit > Group. The objects are now part of a group, according to the defined grouping options.
Setting grouping options

Use the Group Options window to specify options for grouping objects. You can specify how the objects, as well as their pivot points, are grouped. Setting grouping options: 1 2
Group Under
Select Edit > Group . The Group Options window opens. Set the following options and click Group. Group objects under one of the following:
Parent Groups the selected objects under their lowest common parent in the
hierarchy. For example, selecting a single object and grouping puts the group node immediately above the selected object in the hierarchy. Selecting objects that are in different hierarchies puts the group under the world since they dont share a common parent. Selecting objects in different parts of the same hierarchy puts the objects under their lowest common parent. If you go from each selected object, the new group will be placed under the first node containing all the selected objects.
World Puts the new group under the world (at the top level of the hierarchy). Group Pivot
Select where you want the pivot point for the group to be.
Center Puts the new groups pivot point at the center of the bounding box of the
grouped objects.
Origin Puts the new groups pivot point at the origin of the new groups coordinate
system.
Preserve Position
Turn this option on to modify the selected objects matrix so that Maya preserves the overall world-space position of the object. If turned off, the matrix of grouped objects are changed and the objects world-space position changes when grouped.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Working with groups
Ungrouping objects
Ungroup lets you separate parts of a group and remove nodes from a hierarchy. You can then work with each object on an individual basis. To ungroup objects: 1 Select a group.
Tip If your scene is comprised of many groups, use the Hypergraph to help you select a group. See "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263. 2 3 Select Edit > Ungroup. Maya puts all objects at world level. Click anywhere in the display to deselect the objects.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Creating object hierarchies (parenting)
Setting Ungrouping options

Use the Ungroup Options window to specify options for ungrouping objects. Setting ungrouping options: 1 2
Group Under
Select Edit > Ungroup . The Ungroup Options window opens. Set the following options and click Ungroup. Ungroup objects under one of the following:
Parent Puts all objects under their lowest common parent in the hierarchy. If there
is none, then it puts the objects as the world level.

World Puts all objects at world level (at the top-level of the hierarchy). Preserve Position
Turn this option on so that Maya preserves the transformation information of the group. If turned off, the ungrouped objects lose their grouped transformation attributes, therefore changing their position when ungrouped.
Creating an empty group

Select Create > Empty Group to create a new group (transform node) without children. These empty or null objects are useful because they can be used to control other objects through expressions. Moving the unrendered, empty object triggers expressions that move other parts of the model. In other words, they can act as constraint nodes.
Tip You can also create an empty group by selecting Edit > Group with no objects selected.
CREATING OBJECT HIERARCHIES (PARENTING)

You use parenting to establish a hierarchy in your scenes. The Edit menu provides these parenting options:
Parent Unparent
Moves objects from one hierarchy to another and creates instances. Returns a parented hierarchy to its original state. Use Parent to move objects between hierarchies and create instances.
Note In the Outliner and Hypergraph, you can drag and drop one object on top of another to parent it.
Parenting objects
When you parent an object, you make it part of a hierarchy.
EDITING OBJECTS | 3
Creating object hierarchies (parenting) To create a parent: 1 2 3
Parent Method
Select the objects you want to make up the parent/child relationship. Select the children first, and the parent last. Select Edit > Parent . The Parent Options window opens. Set the following options and click Parent. Select what you want done with the selected object:
Move Objects Move the object from its current parent to the new parent (the last
selected object).
Add Instance Create an instance under the new group instead of moving the object. Preserve Position
Turn Preserve Position on to preserve the overall world-space position by changing the parented objects transformation matrix.
Note If two objects are selected, the first object goes under the one selected last.
Unparenting objects
When unparenting an object from a group, you can remove it from the hierarchy and put it into world space. If it is an instance, you can delete it altogether. To unparent an object: 1 2 3
Unparent Method
Select the child object. Select Edit > Unparent . The Unparent Options window opens. Set the following options and click Unparent. Select how you want to unparent the selected object:
Parent to World Remove the object from its current parent and place it under the
world.
Remove Instance Remove a particular instance instead of moving the object. Preserve Position
Turn Preserve Position on to preserve overall world-space position by modifying the parented objects transformation matrix.
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Undoing and redoing actions
UNDOING AND REDOING ACTIONS

You can undo the last action you performed and redo if you change your mind. You can also repeat your last actions.
Undoing your last action

Undo reverses the last action you performed on a selected object. It also reverses any action you performed from the Edit menu. For example, you can transform an object to a new position, then return it to its original position using the Undo command. To reverse an action: Select Edit > Undo.
Note To set how many levels of Undo you want, select Window > Settings/ Preferences > Preferences, Undo category, and set the Queue Size. Note that a large Queue Size slows Mayas performance.
Redoing and repeating actions

Select Edit > Redo to perform the last action that you reversed. For example, if you delete an object and then use Undo to display it, Redo deletes the object again. Select Edit > Repeat to echo the last menu item you selected. You can only repeat selections from menus on the Maya main menu bar. You cannot repeat selections from the shelf, channel box, or any of the secondary window menus.
EDITING OBJECT ATTRIBUTES

An attribute is a characteristic of an object in a scene. There are many ways to set attributes in Mayawith the Attribute Editor, Channel Box, Attribute Spreadsheet, menu selections, and expressions. You can set attributes to control virtually anything in your models and animation. For information on editing attributes, see: "Using the Attribute Editor" on page 222 "Using the Channel Box" on page 236 "Using the Attribute Spread Sheet" on page 212 Using Maya: Expressions Using Maya: Painting
TRANSFORMING OBJECTS
After you build your curves, surfaces, and objects, you are ready to position them in 3D space. This chapter describes how you scale, rotate, and move your objects.
SELECTING TRANSFORMATION TOOLS

The Tool Box provides six basic tools: Select, Lasso, Move, Rotate, Scale, and Show Manipulator. The last tool you used occupies the last position in the Tool Box, except for tools that already have an icon in the Tool Box, such as the Move Tool.
Equivalent keys Select Tool Lasso Tool Move Tool Rotate Tool Scale Tool Show Manipulator Tool space for the last tool used (non-sacred tool) w e r t y q
The q, w, e, r, t, and y hotkeys correspond to the Tool Box icons, as shown above. When you press the w key and drag with the left mouse button, a marking menu appears for the Move manipulator. Similarly, you can display marking menus for using the e key (for Rotate) and r key (for Scale). The marking menu options are another way to select manipulator handles.
USING MANIPULATORS
Manipulators provide a visual and interactive way to change an objects parameters. You use manipulators to directly position and scale objects in the workspace. Many tools have manipulators. Usually, a tool creates a manipulator when you open the tool and deletes the manipulator when you exit it. (However, there are some exceptions to this.)
TRANSFORMING OBJECTS | 4
Using axes and pivot points When you use a manipulator to change parameter values, the Help Line displays the values as they change. You can also change parameter values by entering them in the Numeric Input field (at the top right of the window). For details, see "Entering numeric values" on page 98.
Y handle Center handle X handle
Z handle
About manipulator handles

Each manipulator has several handles. You move these handles to change parameters. For example, the Move manipulator has a center handle, plus handles you use to move it in X, Y, and Z. If you want, you can make these handles larger or smaller using the manipulator display preferences in Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences. For the transform manipulators, you can also use the + and - keys on the keyboard to change handle size.
The active (current) handle

When you click-drag a manipulator handle, it becomes active. This means you can now use the middle mouse button to move the handle without having to reselect it. If you click away from the handle and drag, it still moves the manipulator. The default color of the active handle is yellow. You can keyframe the attribute that corresponds to this active handle by setting keys on the current manipulator handle (Animation menu set, Animate > Set Key ). For more information, see Using Maya: Animation.
USING AXES AND PIVOT POINTS

There are various ways you can define from where your objects are transformed. Use the location of the pivot point or axes to transform in a specific direction from a specific point in local or world space.
What are pivot points?

Objects are transformed based on a specific point in 3D space known as a pivot. When you rotate a primitive, for example, the pivot point represents the center of the rotation axis; when you scale, the pivot point represents the fixed point around which scaling occurs. By default, the pivot point is set so that the rotational and scale pivots are located at the point of origin for an object (0, 0, 0). The point of origin is the center of the object. You can change an object's pivot and you can also pin it to a fixed location.
Using axes and pivot points To quickly display an objects pivot point using edit mode: 1 2 Select the object, then select the transformation tool. Press the Insert key on the keyboard to turn to and from an edit mode. Edit mode displays a manipulator for moving the pivot.
Manipulator for moving pivot
To display an objects pivot point using the Attribute Editor: 1 2 3 Select the object. Open the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor) and click the objects transform tab. Expand Pivots, and turn on Display Rotate Pivot or Display Scale Pivot.
transform tab
Pivots options
Moving pivot points

You can move a pivot point to set the point you want to move, scale, or rotate the object from. Use the Insert key on the keyboard to display the pivot point, then use any of the transformation tools. In the following example the Rotate transformation tool is selected. To move a pivot point manually: 1 Select an object, select a transformation tool, and then press the Insert key. The pivot point manipulator appears.
rotate manipulator
pivot point manipulator
Drag the pivot point manipulator to move the pivot point.
Using axes and pivot points
pivot point
Press the Insert key again to display the transform manipulator and drag to transform the object.
rotate manipulator
To move a pivot point using the Attribute Editor: 1 Select the object, open the Attribute Editor and in the Pivots section, turn Display Rotate Pivot or Display Scale Pivot on, depending on which pivot point you want to move. In the Local or World Space sections, enter X, Y and Z values for Rotate Pivot or Scale Pivot and press Enter. In the following example, the rotate pivot is moved 5.0 units in the Z direction in absolute local space. You can now rotate the object from that pivot point location.
Rotate pivot point moved 5.0 in Z
Pinning component pivot points

Maya creates a temporary pivot point for object components you select while in Component selection mode. The pivot point is centered with respect to the selected components. If you select additional components after moving a temporary pivot, the pivot automatically moves back to the original position. To prevent it from moving, you can pin the temporary pivot to a location you define in edit mode. To pin a pivot point: 1 In component selection mode, select the components.
Using axes and pivot points
example of CVs selected in Component Selection mode
2 3 4
Press the Insert key to enter edit mode. Drag the pivot point to move it to a new location. Still in edit mode, click the pivot target. The pivot locks to the current position.
Unpinned pivot point
Pinned pivot point
Note The component pivot remains pinned in its position until you return to edit mode (using the Insert key) and unpin it. To unpin (or unlock) a pivot and return it to default auto-centering mode, click the pinned pivot manipulator.
What is an axis?
An axis is a straight line that indicates the origin and direction. For example, by using two axes, a plane is defined: the XY plane is defined by placing X and Y axes so they intersect at the origin. Three dimensions are defined by using three axes: X, Y, and Z.
Displaying the axis indicators

There are two types of axes: the global axes, and the local axes. The global axes display in the view. You can display the global axes at the origin in the perspective view (Display > Heads Up Display > Origin Axis) and you can display the global axes at the bottom left of each view (Display > Heads Up Display > View Axis). The local axes displays at the origin of the active object in all views. To display the local axis, open the Attribute Editor. Click the transform tab for the object, and in the Display section, turn on Display Local Axis.
Moving objects
Axes and rotation

When you rotate an object, the outcome is partially dependent on the rotation order of the objects axis. The default rotation order is xyz, but you can change it as needed. For more information, see "Changing the rotation order and axis orientation" on page 94.
Changing the axes origin from the Command Line

You can also type the following commands in the Command Line to turn the global axis display on and off in the 3D views.
Command turnAxis -o true; toggleAxis -o false; toggleAxis -v true; toggleAxis -v false;
Action displays the axis at the origin hides the axis at the origin displays the axis at the bottom left of each view hides the axis at the bottom left of each view
MOVING OBJECTS
The following procedure describes how you use manipulators to move an object: To move an object using the Move Tool: 1 2 Click the Move Tool icon in the Tool Box. Select the object you want to move. Maya displays a manipulator with four handlesone to move along each axis and one to move anywhere within the plane. The colors of the handles correspond to the XYZ axes.
Moving objects
Drag this handle to move in Y direction
Drag this handle to move in Z direction
Drag the center handle to move in any direction
Drag this handle to move in X direction
Click-drag one of the handles, as indicated above. The selected handle changes color when active. The default color is yellow. To move the object along a single axis, select and drag the handle for that axis. To move the object freely along all axes, select and drag the center handle of the manipulator.
Tip Another way to restrict movement to one axis is to press the Shift key and drag using the middle mouse button. This is faster than clicking on the manipulator to switch between specific handles.
Tip For all manipulators, the middle mouse button controls the active manipulator handle. By default, the Move manipulator moves along the plane of the view. In the perspective view, you also use it to move in the XY, YZ, or XZ planes. To move in the XZ plane, Ctrl-click the Y handle. The current plane for the center handle becomes the XZ plane. The center handle now moves the object in the XZ plane (keeping the Y translation value constant). To move in the YZ plane, Ctrl-click the X handle. To move in the XY plane, Ctrl-click the Z handle. If the current plane is the XZ plane (or YZ or XY) and you want to move in the view plane, Ctrl-click the center handle. When a snap mode is turned on, the manipulator center changes to a circle. This indicates that the manipulator snaps instead of moving freely in the current plane. Moving tips Here are a few tips to help you move an object: The Selection Mask options window controls what types of items you can move. For example, if CVs are turned on and all other components are turned off, only CVs can be selected and moved. To change an objects shape, you can move CVs independently of the objects they are in. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 89
Moving objects When you transform an object, the center of the manipulator is the center of the current selections bounding box. It acts as a temporary pivot. To move the pivot point, see "Moving pivot points" on page 85.
Choosing a coordinate system for the Move Tool

Use the Tool Settings options window to specify the coordinate system for the Move Tool. To specify an option: 1 Double-click the Move Tool icon in the Tool Box. or Select Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Tool . The Tool Settings window opens.
2
Object
Select one of the following options and click Close. Moves an object in object space coordinate system. Axis orientation includes rotations on the object itself. If several objects are selected, each object moves the same amount relative to its own object space coordinate system. Aligns the object to the rotation of the parent object. Movement is constrained to those axes in the local space coordinate system. The object is aligned to the rotation of the parent object and does not include the rotations on the object itself. If several objects are selected, each object moves the same amount relative to its own object space coordinate system. Moves in the world space coordinate system. The object is aligned to the world space axis. This is the default. Moves selected CVs on a NURBS surface in the U or V direction of the surface. Typically you would use this option for small sets of CVs. The manipulator indicates the surface Normal, U, and V directions.
Local
World Normal
Moving objects When you select Normal, the Update [UVN] Triad checkbox appears. Turned on, this option causes the manipulator orientation to reflect the moved surface rather than the original surface. This is the default. Turned off, the manipulator retains the orientation for the original surface.
Using the Move Normal Tool

Use the Move Normal Tool (Modify > Transformation Tools > Move Normal Tool) to move selected CVs on a NURBS surface in the U or V direction of the surface. This is the same as selecting the Normal option for the Move Tool. The Update [UVN] Triad checkbox is turned on by default. For more information about this Update [UVN] Triad option, see Normal above.
Moving curves on surfaces

Curves on surface (along with their edit points) have a special Move manipulator. When you move a curve on surface, the manipulator constrains the curve on surface to the surface and allows for movement in the UV direction separately.
Move curve on surface manipulator
You can also move a curve on surface entirely off the surface. Since it is mapped only to the UV parameter space of a surface, once the curve or any portion of the curve is moved off the surface, it is no longer displayed. Similarly, if you move an edit point on a curve on surface element off the surface, the edit point and curve spans affected by that edit point are no longer displayed.
Rotating objects
Moving a path animation marker

Motion path markers also have a special manipulator. You can add a marker to a path animation to change the animation timing. If you have a position marker along a path animation, you can use the Move Tool to motion the position marker to another point along the motion path. For more information, see Using Maya: Animation.
ROTATING OBJECTS
Use the Rotate Tool to rotate objects about any or all three axes. To rotate an object: 1 2 Click the Rotate Tool icon in the Tool Box. Select the object you want to rotate. Maya displays a rotate manipulator consisting of four rings (handles), plus a virtual sphere enclosed by the rings. The colors of the handles correspond to the XYZ axes.
Drag the outer ring to rotate about view axis Drag to rotate in the X direction
Drag to rotate in the Z direction Drag the virtual sphere area to rotate in X, Y and Z Drag to rotate in the Y direction
Click-drag one of the handles, as indicated above. The selected handle changes color when active. The default color is yellow. Use the X, Y, and Z rings to perform constrained rotations. Use the outer ring to rotate relative to the view. For example, in the front view, the view ring rotates the object in the XY plane. The virtual sphere is used to rotate in X, Y, and Z. When you rotate a component, Maya rotates it about a temporary pivot which is initially set to the center of the components bounding box. For information on moving the pivot, see "Moving pivot points" on page 85.
Changing the rotation order

The Rotate manipulator respects the key objects rotation order, that is, the order in which X, Y, and Z rotations are applied. To change the rotation order of an object, open the Attribute Editor. The rotation order option is under the scale/rotate/translate attributes. This is most useful with the Gimbal manipulator. See "Animating rotation channels" on page 94.
Rotating objects
Choosing a rotate mode

You use the Tool Settings window to specify the behavior for the Rotate Tool. To specify an option: 1 Double-click the Rotate Tool icon in the Tool Box. The Tool Settings window opens.
2
Local Global Gimbal Snapping
Select a Rotate Mode option, and if desired, turn on Snapping and specify a Snap to Value, and then click Close. Rotates the object about the object space axes. Rotates the object about the world space XYZ axes. Notice that in this mode the rings never change. Changes only the X, Y, or Z rotation value. In the local and global modes, the XYZ constraint rings may change more than one of the rotation XYZ channels. When Snapping is turned on and you rotate an object using one of the Rotate Tool handles, the object snaps to increments of the Snap to Value. For example, if you specify the Snap to Value as 5.0 and the current rotateX value is 2.25, dragging the rotateX handle of the manipulator will snap the current rotation value to 0.0 and then subsequent dragging of the rotateX handle will jump in units of 5.0. While snapping works in Local, Global, and Gimbal modes, only Gimbal is guaranteed to modify just the Channel Box attribute associated with the current handle. (In the other two modes, you could see all three values changing as you rotate a given handle. In these cases, snapping 5.0 degrees may not always result in nice round numbers in the Channel Box, even though the object will appear to snap by 5.0 degrees.) To rotate without snapping, turn Snapping off. Snapping is turned off by default.
Note To momentarily turn Snapping on or off you can use the j key. Press the j key and then rotate the object. If Snapping is turned on in the Rotate Tool Settings window, then pressing j will turn it off while rotating the object. If Snapping is turned off, then pressing j will turn it on while rotating the object. When you release the j key, Snapping is restored to what it was in the Rotate Tool Settings window. The snapping increment used is the value that was last specified for the Snap to Value option in the Rotate Tool Settings window.
Scaling objects
Changing the rotation order and axis orientation

In the Transform Attributes section of the Attribute Editor, you can change the rotation order of the axes for an object by selecting an order from the Rotate Order pop-up menu. You can also enter values in the Rotate Axis X, Y, or Z boxes to rotate the axes in a specific direction, and to rotate the object around a different axis.
Keep in mind that these attributes have a combined effect with the Rotate Mode settings in the rotate Tool Settings.
Animating rotation channels

With the world and object space rotation manipulator, you can change multiple rotation channels at one time, even when using one of the X, Y, or Z rings. For animation, rotations are interpolated on a per channel basis and the rotation channels are not independent. The rotation channels are applied in a specific order. This ordering impacts the animation of these channels. (To change the rotation order, use the Attribute Editor.) For this reason, interpolating all three rotation channels on a single object usually does not result in a smoothly animated rotation. Instead, use the Gimbal option of the rotation manipulator. It lets you change and control individual rotation channels without affecting the other rotation channels. It also gives more predictable results. For modeling purposes, or with animations that don't include rotation channels, use any of the rotate manipulators. When you animate components such as CVs, you are actually animating their position. Rotating some CVs and setting keys do not produce an arc because the CV positions are what are interpolated. In this case, it does not matter which rotate manipulator is used.
SCALING OBJECTS
Use the Scale Tool to change the size of objects by scaling proportionally in all three dimensions. You can also scale non-proportionally in one dimension at a time. To scale an object: 1 2 Click the Scale Tool icon in the Tool Box. Select the object you want to scale. Maya displays a scaling manipulator that consists of four handles. The colors of the handles correspond to the XYZ axes.
Using the Show Manipulator Tool
Drag to scale in the Y direction Drag to scale proportionally
Drag to scale in the Z direction
Drag to scale in the X direction
Click-drag a handle to scale the object, as indicated above.
Tip A useful shortcut for non-proportional scaling in X, Y, or Z is to use the Shift key. Hold the Shift key down, then, using the middle mouse button, drag along the direction of the axis you would like to scale in. This is faster because you don't need to click directly on the specific handle to switch between scaling in X, Y, or Z. By default, all geometry is assigned an initial scale factor of 1. When you scale a component, Maya scales it about a temporary pivot, which is initially set to the center of the active components bounding box. Note that for components, it is the component position that is being changed. For information on moving the pivot, see "Moving pivot points" on page 85.
USING THE SHOW MANIPULATOR TOOL

Some functions display special manipulators that let you tailor a surface or curve after a surface has been created. The Show Manipulator Tool (Modify > Transformation Tools > Show Manipulator Tool) lets you edit the construction history of an operation or the attributes of an object itself. In other words, this tool lets you access the input node of an object. A manipulator is a good way to access the history of a surface created with construction history (such as a beveled or revolved surface). Several manipulators can be active at one time. When the object is deselected, the manipulators disappear. Reselect the object, and the manipulators reappear. There are several ways to access and display manipulators using the Show Manipulator Tool. Before you start, make sure construction history is on (click the Construction History icon on the Status Line).
Selecting an items history node

The Show Manipulator Tool displays a manipulator for the operations history node. To access the manipulator, you must select the history node. After you revolve an object, the revolve history node is active and the Show Manipulator Tool displays the Revolve manipulator. If you perform several other operations and then want to edit the revolved surface, the manipulators are no longer displayed. You have to select them using one of the following methods. To select the history node: Select the surface then do one of the following: Press the a key and the left mouse button. Drag to Select All History on the marking menu that appears.
or From the History list menu in the Status Line, select the history node.
or From the Channel Box, select the history node. In the following example, the history nodes for a revolved surface and the curve used to construct it are selected. Click revolve1 to select the history node for the revolved surface.
Changing a curves parameter range

You can use the Show Manipulator Tool to change the parameter range (minimum and maximum value) on a subCurve. A subCurve is created when you select the Partial option as the Curve Range in some options windows (for example, Revolve Options, Loft Options, Extrude Options, Boundary Options, Bevel Options, Project Curve Options). This option lets you select a minimum and maximum parameter value on the curve; only the part of the curve between those points is used to create the surface. Most surface operations that use a curve as input include this option. A subCurve can also be the construction curve, or input curve, you use to create surfaces, such as revolved or extruded surfaces.
Once you select the history nodes and the Show Manipulator Tool, manipulators display on the surface or the construction curve. To interactively edit these nodes, click-drag the manipulator handles, or change the values in the Channel Box or the Attribute Editor.
Note Some options windows include a Keep Original checkbox (for example, Edit Curves > Detach Curves). Turn this on to access the manipulators.
Displaying manipulators for lights and cameras

Use the Show Manipulator Tool to display manipulators for editing lights and cameras. The appropriate manipulator displays for the camera or light you select. For example, if you select a light or a camera and then click the Show Manipulator Tool in the Tool Box, Maya displays the following manipulators:
Entering numeric values
Spotlight manipulators
Camera manipulators
For details, see "Displaying camera and light manipulators" on page 128.
Using the Default Object manipulator

The Default Object manipulator is the transform tool set to be used with the Show Manipulator Tool for an object. It can be the Move, Rotate, or Scale Tool. Even if the object has its own manipulator (for example, a light), the transform manipulator is shown instead. To set the default manipulator for the Show Manipulator Tool: Select Modify > Transformation Tools > Default Object Manipulator > transformTool. Set Default Object Manipulator to None to use the objects own manipulator, rather than a transform manipulator. This is the default. This information is saved with the scene. It is also shown in the Attribute Editor under the transform Display section.
ENTERING NUMERIC VALUES

You can move, rotate, or scale an object by entering values in the Numeric Input field or the Command Line.
Using the Numeric Input field

The Numeric Input field appears on the Status Line. You can enter absolute values or relative values in the Numeric Input field. When typing values, do not include commas to separate XYZ coordinatesuse spaces. For example, type:
1 3 5
...not
1,3,5
You can use decimal values. Entering absolute values Click the pulldown menu next to the Numeric Input field and select Numeric Input: Absolute. The button changes to abs, to indicate that Maya will interpret the values you enter as relative. When you enter an absolute value, Maya moves or rotates the object to the absolute world-space coordinates that you type in, or scales the object to the absolute size value specified for each of the three axes.
Entering numeric values For example, if an object is positioned at XYZ coordinates (4, 2, 2) and you move the object by entering an absolute value of:
6 3 1
...in the numeric input field, the new position of the object is (6, 3, 1). You can omit trailing zero values. For example, you can type:
2 3 0
or
2 3
...to move an object to (2, 3, 0). To move or scale an object on only one or two of the axes without affecting the other axis, you must re-enter the current values you dont want to affect. For example, to move an object from its location at (2,3,1) to (4,4,1), enter the absolute move values:
4 4 1
Similarly, if an object is scaled by a factor of 5 on all three axes and you want to change the scale on the x-axis to a factor of 6, enter the scale factors:
6 5 5
Entering relative values Click the pulldown menu next to the Numeric Input field and select Numeric Input: Relative. The button changes to rel, to indicate that Maya will interpret the values you enter as relative. When you enter a relative value, Maya moves, rotates, or scales the object by the specified amount on each axis, relative to the objects current position or scale factor. For example, to move an object from (2,3,1) to a position two grid positions in the positive X direction and one grid position in the positive Y direction, enter the relative values:
2 1 0
...and press Enter. The zero value for the z-axis results in no positional adjustment on this axis. The object moves to (4,4,1). You can omit trailing zero values. For example, you can type:
2 3 0
...or
2 3
...to move an object from (1,1,1) to (3,4,1). To transform an object using the Numeric Input field: 1 2 Click the Move, Rotate, or Scale Tool in the Tool Box. Select the object you want to transform.
Combining transformations
Note If you select more than one object, Maya displays the manipulator on only one object. However, each object moves, scales, or rotates relative to its own pivot point. 3 To transform the object by an absolute amount (the default), type the XYZ coordinates in the Numeric Input field and press Enter, or type -a before the value and press Enter, for example:
-a 1 7 4
To transform an object by a relative amount, select Relative from the Numeric Input fields drop-down list to switch to rel, then enter the value, or type -r before the value and press Enter, for example:
-r 2 6 3
Using the Command Line

The command line appears at the bottom of the Maya main window. To transform an object with the Command Line: To transform objects from the Command Line, you use the move, rotate, and scale commands. If you type -r before the numerical values on the Command Line, geometry is translated relative to its current location. (-a, for absolute world space coordinates, is the default.)
Type transform values and press Enter
COMBINING TRANSFORMATIONS
You can use the combined Move/Rotate/Scale manipulator to switch between moving, rotating, and scaling. When you first select this Tool, only part of each manipulator is displayed. To see the complete manipulator, click one of its handles. To transform the object, click-drag the appropriate handle. For more information, see "Moving objects" on page 88, "Rotating objects" on page 92, or "Scaling objects" on page 94.
Note When you use the combined transformation tool, the transformations occur with respect to object space only.
Using proportional modification
USING PROPORTIONAL MODIFICATION

You can use the Proportional Modification (propmod) Tool to transform a number of items proportionally, based on the distance from the manipulator handle. Typically, you use this tool to transform CVs. The propmod effect is usually based on the distance of the CV, or other component, from the manipulator. The closest object exactly matches the manipulators movement. Objects further away do not. This effect is controlled by the Distance Cutoff setting. The manipulator for Proportional Modification is a combination of the move, rotate, and scale manipulators. Click the appropriate part of the manipulator, depending on what type of transformation you want to perform.
You can reposition the manipulator in another part of the scene to achieve different effects on the selected objects. Example of translating CVs: 1 Click the Select by component type icon on the Status Line and select the curves to see the CVs.
Click this icon and select the curves to see the CVs
Shift-drag to select all the CVs in the center of the curves.
Select Modify > Transformation Tools > Proportional Modification Tool. Maya displays a manipulator.
Click-drag to position the manipulator, then drag the green handle to move the CVs on the curves.
CVs move proportionally
Specifying proportional modification falloff

To set proportional modification options, either double-click the icon, or select Modify > Transformation Tools > Proportional Modification Tool . The Tool Settings window opens.
Linear modification falloff

This is the default modification falloff. Maya performs the modification in a linear fashion and displays the Distance Cutoff option.
Distance Cutoff Distance Based On
Objects further away than this value are ignored. The distance is measured in 3D from the manipulator handle. The distance from the manipulator handle to the object directly influences the modification factor. The distance will be computed along the selected axes only. If any of these is turned off, the distance used in the computation of the propmod effect from the handle to the point will ignore that component.
Power modification falloff

Using the Proportional Modification Tool, you can set the degree to any value between +5 and -5 and the falloff is non-linear (it forms a logistic curve). However, if you set the degree to 1 the falloff is linear again.
Distance Cutoff Degree
Objects further away than this value are ignored. The distance is measured in 3D from the manipulator handle. Specifies the degree of effect in the U and V directions. A value of 0 applies the transformation equally over the entire region. A positive value decreases the effect of the transformation for objects further away from the manipulator handle; the greater the degree, the greater this dampening effect. If Degree is negative, the effect of the transformation is increased for objects further away from the manipulator handle.
Distance Based On
The distance from the manipulator handle to the object directly influences the modification factor. The distance is computed along the selected axes only.
Script modification falloff

This method uses a MEL script to determine the falloff. With the appropriate parameters set, you can choose the Script option and type a command for the settings in the User defined script box to save the current parameter settings without actually invoking the function. If you want to use these settings again later, you can retrieve the tools script from the Reference Editor.
User defined script
The script should return a modification factor. The inputs to the script are float numbers. The first three represent the position of the manipulator handle. The second three represent the position of the point manipulated. For example, the points for which this script returns 1 will move with the manipulator handle. The points for which this script returns 0.5 will move half as fast as the manipulator handle. For more information, see "Using the PropMod script" on page 105.
Curve modification falloff

This option uses an animation curve to create the falloff. An animation curve profile can be used to produce a modification factor.
Anim Curve
Enter the name of an existing animation curve. Its vertical direction will map into the modification factor. The distance maps to the anim curve time axis (in seconds). You can use the pull-down menu to the right of the box to list and choose all the anim curves with names starting with propModAnimCurve. You can also create one of those by choosing Create New from the same pull-down menu.
Distance Based On
The distance from the manipulator handle to the object directly influences the modification factor. The distance is computed along the selected axes only.
NURBS Curve
This option uses an NURBS curve to create the falloff. A NURBS curve profile can be used to produce a modification factor.
NURBS Curve
Enter the name of an existing NURBS curve. Its vertical direction will map into the modification factor. The distance maps to the NURBS curve. You can use the pull-down menu to the right of the box to list and choose from all the NURBS curves.
Using the PropMod script

The PropMod script is similar to the Move script except that it has additional settings for the move distance. Using the Script option, you can compute each objects factor individually. The user-defined script command considers both the position of the manipulator and the object. The value returned by the script is used as a multiplying factor for a specific object. Example Create myPropMove.mel file as:
global proc float myPropMove(float $mx, float $my, float $mz, float $px, float $py, float $pz) } return rand (1.0) }
...which produces a random value between 0 and 1. If you select myPropMove as the script name, you get a random modification factor for all selected points.
Creating locators
CREATING LOCATORS
A locator marks a position in world space. A locator is displayed as a small gnomon; its lines extend in each direction along the X, Y and Z axes (like the directional rods of a sundial). You can use point snapping to snap to a locator position. Use Create > Locator to create a space or curve locator. To create and move a locator: 1 Select Create > Locator. A locator is created at the origin.
Move the locator in one of the following ways: Use the transformation tools. Change the transformation values in the Channel Box. Click the locator# tab in the Attribute Editor and change the Transform Attributes values.
Repositioning the locator in local space

You can reposition the locator in local space from the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor). Click the locatorShape# tab and enter X, Y, or Z values in the Local Position boxes.
Using Measure Tools
Locator positioned at origin
Locator positioned at (0, 3, 0)
USING MEASURE TOOLS

The Create > Measure Tools menu includes the Distance Tool, Parameter Tool, and Arc Length Tool.
Using distance measures

Use the Create > Measure Tools > Distance Tool to measure and display distances between two specified points. To display a distance measure: 1 2 Select Create > Measure Tools > Distance Tool. Click to select two points in space, or click a curve or surface to display the distance measure locator. The following example shows the distance locator when two points are placed on a surface.
The following example shows the distance locator when one point is placed in world space and the other is placed on the surface.
Using Measure Tools
The following example shows the distance locator when two points are placed on a curve.
To snap a distance measure point: To snap a locator to a curve or surface, use the Snap to curves icon and click the curve or surface. When you move the item, the distance measure updates. This can be especially helpful if you want to measure the distance between two curves. 1 2 3 Click the Snap to curves icon from the Status Line. Place a point on one curve and another point on the other curve. Move one of the curves and the distance measure updates.
To move the distance locator: Click the Move Tool icon, then select a locator and drag to the point from where you want to measure the distance. The distance measure updates automatically.
Using Measure Tools
Editing the distance locators using the Attribute Editor

You can move distance locators by editing the Translate values (X, Y and Z) in the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor). To specify the Translate values of a distance locator: Select a locator, then click the locator# tab of Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor) and enter Translate values for the locator. The distance measure updates automatically. When you edit the Translate values of the distance locators, the Start Point and End Point in the distanceDimensionShape# tab are also updated automatically.
To reposition the distance locator in local space: Click the locatorShape# tab to open that section of the editor. Enter values in the Local Position boxes to reposition the distance measure in X, Y, or Z.
Using Measure Tools
Displaying parameter values

Use the Create > Measure Tool > Parameter Tool to display parameter values on curves and surfaces at a specified point. This locator also displays the direction of the curve or surface and the normal to the curve or surface at a specified point.
Normal Normal Curve direction Surface direction
To display parameter values on a surface or curve: 1 2 Select Create > Measure Tool > Parameter Tool. Click-drag on a curve or surface to display the parameter values at a specified point. For curves, the parameter value displays the U value at the specified point on the curve.
For surfaces, the parameter value displays the U and V values at the specified point.
Using Measure Tools
To move the parameter locator: Click the Move Tool icon, then click-drag a locator over the curve or surface. The parameter values update as you drag.
If you create another locator, the previous locator is dimmed. This means that you can move it later if you need to.
Editing the parameter locators in the Attribute Editor

You can specify the U and V parameter values from the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor). Click the arrow beside the Nurbs Geometry box to access the curve or surface whose locator you want to edit. To specify the U and V parameter values: Click the paramDimensionShape# tab to open that section of the editor. Enter new U and V Param Values.
Using Measure Tools
In the following example, the first figure shows the parameter locator on a surface at the position where it was created. The second figure shows how the locator is modified when you change the U and V Param Values.
Measuring arc lengths

Use the Create > Measure Tool > Arc Length Tool to measure and display arc lengths on curves and surfaces at a specified point. It also displays the direction of the curve or surface and the normal to the curve or surface at a specified point.
Normal
Normal
Surface direction
Curve direction
To display arc length values on a surface or curve: 1 2 Select Create > Measure Tool > Arc Length Tool. Click-drag over a curve or surface to display the parameter values at a specified point.
Using Measure Tools For curves, the distance of the specified point from the start point of the curve is measured.
For surfaces, the specified point from the start point in both the U and V direction is measured.
To move the arc length locator: Click the Move Tool icon, then click-drag over the curve or surface. The parameter values update as you drag.
If you create another locator, the previous locator dims, meaning you can select to move it later if you want.
Editing the arc length locators in the Attribute Editor

If you want, you can specify the U and V parameters values from the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor). Click the arrow beside the Nurbs Geometry box to access the curve or surface for which you want to edit the locator. To specify the U and V parameter values: Click the arcLengthDimensionShape# tab to open that section of the editor and enter new U and V Param values. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 113
Using Measure Tools
In the following example, the first figure shows the arc length locator on a surface at the position where it was created. The second figure shows how the locator is modified when the U and V Param Values are changed.
DISPLAYING OBJECTS
This chapter describes the tools and actions you use to display or hide objects and attributes. You can use these tools to customize your working environment and reduce workspace complexity.
DISPLAYING ITEMS IN MAYA

You use the Display menu to show or hide NURBS, polygons, tools, components, and attributes. When you hide or show items, it affects the workspace globally. If you want to hide or show these elements for just one view, use the views Show menu. You can also use the Show menu to display specific types of objects (joints, lights, meshes, surfaces, and so on) in a 3D view. For information on Show menu options, see "Hiding and showing objects" on page 122.
Tip You can also control the display of many items from the Attribute Editor. See "Using the Attribute Editor" on page 222.
USING A GRID
A grid is a 2D plane that represents 3D dimensions in the view. You can use grids to help animate relative to a solid surface. For example, you could use a grid to help plan the foot positions of a person walking on the ground. You can also use a grid to construct skeletons, because you can snap grid coordinates on and off to precisely position joints. You can hide the grid when you need to reduce visual clutter. For example, if you have animated a character walking across a floor and want to view the surface texture, you can turn off the grid when youre ready to fine-tune the placement of the characters feet.
DISPLAYING OBJECTS | 5
Using a grid
To turn the grid off and on: Select Display > Grid. To turn the grid back on, select Grid again.
Note The default grid is a 24 x 24 unit grid displayed in the XZ plane.
Setting grid options

Use the Grid Options window to specify how the grid looks on the screen. When you change grid options, Maya changes the display immediately.
Tip Have at least one modeling window open when changing the Grid option. This lets you view the changes interactively. To set grid options: 1 2 Select Display > Grid . The Grid Options window opens. Set the following options and click Apply. Size Weve changed the Size options to clarify their function. You can change the size and length of the grid, set the number of subdivision lines, and the increment for the grid lines.
Length and Width Grid Lines Every Subdivisions
Sets the number of units for the length and width of the grid. The default is 12 units. Displays every nth grid line. The default is 5 units. Specifies the number of divisions between major grid lines. Setting the Subdivisions option to a value greater than 1 specifies that each main grid interval will be subdivided by the amount specified. The default is 5. Color You can change the color of the axes, grid lines and labels, and subdivision lines.
Axes
Specifies a color for the X and Z axes on the grid. The default is dark grey. Specifies a color for the grid lines and the grid line numbers. The default is light grey.
Grid Lines & Numbers
Using a grid
Subdivision Lines
Specifies a color for the subdivision lines. The default is light grey.
Note You can also change the color of the axes, grid lines and numbers, and subdivision lines in the Colors window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors). Go to the Inactive tab and then the Modeling category to find these color options. Here you can also change the color of the X-, Y-, and Z-axis that appear in the Origin and View axes. Display You can turn on and off the display of grid elements, including axes, thicker lines for axes, grid lines, subdivision lines, and grid line numbers.
Axes Thicker Line for Axes
Turns on or off the display of the axes. The default is on. Turns on or off the display of thicker lines for the axes. The default is on.
Grid Lines Subdivision Lines
Turns on or off the display of the grid lines. The default is on. Turns on or off the display of the subdivision lines. The default is on. In the Perspective view, you can set the grid line numbers to display on the axes, along the edge of the grid, or just hide them.
Perspective Grid Numbers
Orthographic Grid Numbers
In the Orthographic views (top, side, front), you can set the grid line numbers to display on the axes, along the edge of the grid, or just hide them.
Hide On Axes Along Edge
Hides the grid line numbers. This is the default for both Perspective and Orthographic Grid Numbers. Displays the grid line numbers along the axes. Displays the grid line numbers along the edge of the grid.
Note To restore the default grid option settings, select Edit, Reset Settings in the Grid Options window. However, this does not restore the default grid color settings. To restore the default colors, go to the Colors window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors) and select Edit, Reset to Defaults. Please note that this restores all color defaults, including the grid colors.
Displaying View tools
DISPLAYING VIEW TOOLS

Maya includes useful tools that you can turn on or off in the Display > Heads Up Display submenu.
Object Details
Displays a list of object details that includes: Backfaces, Smoothness, Instance, Display Layer, and Distance From Camera. The details are displayed in the top-right corner of the panel. The default is off. Displays polygon statistics for the visible objects displayed in the view panel. This feature is useful for games development. The default is off. The first column on the left lists the total components of all the polygons in the scene. The second column lists the total components of the selected polygon(s). The third column lists the total selected components. Turns on or off the display of a list of animation details, which include: Playback Speed, Current Character, and IK Solver Enable. The details are displayed above the Frame Rate in the bottom-right corner of the panel. The default is off. Displays the camera name (persp, top, side, front) in the bottom-center of camera views. The default is on. Displays the frame rate in Hertz (fps) for the current port in the bottom-right corner. The default is off. Displays the global axis in the bottom-left corner of all views. The default is on. Displays the global axis at the origin (0, 0, 0) within the perspective view. The default is on.
Poly Count
Animation Details
Camera Names Frame Rate View Axis Origin Axis
Poly Count
Object Details
Origin Axis View Axis Camera Names Animation Details
Tips You can also change the color of the labels and values for the Heads Up Display options. See "Changing color settings" on page 330. You can also customize the Heads Up Display by adding your own information. For more information, see Using Maya: MEL.
Changing Wireframe Color
CHANGING WIREFRAME COLOR

You can now apply a different color to an objects wireframe. Weve added a Wireframe Color dialog box that has eight colors to choose from (Display > Wireframe Color). You can also customize the palette of eight colors.
To change the color of an objects wireframe: 1 2 Select Display > Wireframe Color. The Wireframe Color dialog box opens. Select the object(s) in the scene, then select a color and click Apply. To see the new wireframe color, deselect the object(s). To change the color of an objects wireframe back to the default: 1 2 Select Display > Wireframe Color. The Wireframe Color dialog box opens. Select the object(s) in the scene and then click Default. To change a color in the Wireframe Color dialog box: 1 2 3 4 Select Display > Wireframe Color. The Wireframe Color dialog box opens. Double-click a color swatch. The Color Chooser window opens. Select a color from the Color Chooser and then click Accept. The selected color replaces the former color on the palette of the Wireframe Color dialog box. Close the Color Chooser window and then close the Wireframe Color dialog box.
Note To change the colors in the Wireframe Color dialog box you can also use the Colors window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors). Go to the General tab and expand the User Defined category to view and change the eight color swatches. To reset the colors in the Wireframe Color dialog box to the default: 1 2 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors. The Colors window opens. Select Edit > Reset to Defaults and then close the Colors window.
Warning If you reset the Colors window to the defaults, this affects all color changes in the Colors window.
Specifying how objects display
SPECIFYING HOW OBJECTS DISPLAY

The Shading menu provides a number of ways to look at your scene. The quality can range from a simple wireframe display to a smooth- shaded view.
Wireframe Smooth Shade All
Draws edges for polygon meshes and isoparametric curves for surfaces. This is the default shading quality. Displays all surfaces, meshes, and particles as smooth-shaded objects. Displays selected items as smooth-shaded objects.
Smooth Shade Selected Items
Flat Shade All
Displays all surfaces and meshes as flat-shaded objects. Displays selected items as flat-shaded objects.
Flat Shade Selected Items
Bounding Box
Shows objects as boxes that represent their bounding volumes. Bounding boxes speed up Maya operations and can make a significant difference for complex models. The bounding box encompasses the hulls as well as the actual geometry. As a result, the bounding box may have dimensions larger than those of the geometry.
Note To see bounding box coordinates, open the Attribute Editor, click on the shape node tab, and open the Object Display section. It shows the readonly minimum and maximum world space boundary coordinates of a surface along the X, Y, and Z axes.
Points Shade Options
Shows objects as groupings of individual points. There are two display options for shaded objects.
Wireframe on Shaded Superimposes a wireframe display on all shaded objects in a
view.
Wireframe isoparms appear over the shaded objects
X-Ray Displays all shaded objects as semi-transparent. This can be useful for seeing
hidden parts of a model.
Specifying how objects display
Interactive Shading
Controls the display of objects during interactive modes (such as transformations, camera navigation, and playbacks). At the same time the normal display can be in some sort of shaded mode. For example, the normal display can be smooth-shaded while the interactive display is bounding box. There are four interactive shading options:
Normal Wireframe Bounding Box Points
Keeps the interactive mode the same as regular display mode. Displays objects in wireframe mode during the interactive mode. Displays objects as bounding boxes during the interactive mode. Displays objects as points during the interactive mode.
Color Index Mode
On UNIX only, lets you manipulate a wireframe object in a complex scene more quickly (for example, if you are using a full-color image plane while working in wireframe mode). On Windows only, lets you manipulate a wireframe object in a complex scene more quickly. For example, suppose you have created a saloon scene with many objects. When you use the Move tool to move a bottle in the scene, it moves slowly as you drag the mouse. You can improve the interactive manipulation of the bottle with this menu option.
Dense Wireframe Acceleration
Tip When you use the Dense Wireframe Acceleration option, be aware of the following:
Backface Culling Hardware Texturing Hardware Fog
Results vary with the graphics card installed in your workstation. Manipulation of wireframe objects in simple scenes is slower. Camera tumbling is unaffected.
For objects displayed in smooth shade or flat shade mode, makes the objects back face transparent which helps speed the display or manipulation of objects. Displays Maya's hardware textured rendered results as if they were being displayed in an external viewer. Simulates hardware fog effects achievable in programs outside of Maya. Displays how a spotlight's fog is distributed before you render. Used for preview purposes, Hardware Fog only displays in the perspective view. Applies the current 3D view's shading style to all objects in the scene.
Apply Current to All
Hiding and showing objects
HIDING AND SHOWING OBJECTS

Use Display > Hide to hide items you arent working on and reduce visual clutter. This is handy if you want to remove an object from the view, but do not want to delete it or move it. To redisplay items, use the Display > Show submenu, which includes the same selections as Display > Hide. The Hide menu items are:
Hide Selection
Hides selected object(s). Hides all unselected objects.
Hide Unselected Objects
Hide Unselected CVs
To control the display of CVs, select the CVs that you want to remain visible, and then use Display > Hide > Hide Unselected CVs to hide all the other CVs on that surface. This will affect the display of CVs in component selection mode, as well as CVs displayed in object selection mode by the use of Display > NURBS Components > CVs.
Tip It is possible to use selective CV display on more than one surface at a time. The selective CV display function operates exclusively from other Maya Hide and Show commands, and therefore menu selections such as Display > Show > All and others do not effect CVs whose display has been set using selective CV display.
All Hide Geometry Hide Kinematics Hide Deformers Hide Cloth Lights Cameras Texture Placements Planes Animation Markers Light Manipulators
Hides all objects, whether they are selected or not. Displays a menu that lets you select the type of geometry you want to hide. Displays a menu that lets you select the type of kinematics you want to hide. Displays a menu that lets you select the type of deformers you want to hide. Available only if you have Maya Unlimited and are using Maya Cloth. Hides cloth objects. For details, see Using Maya: Cloth. Hides lights. Hides cameras. Hides texture placements. Hides planes. Hides animation markers. Hides light manipulators. Hides camera manipulators.
Camera Manipulators
Hiding geometry
Geometry represents the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, and objects. You can hide a variety of geometry components. To hide geometry: 1 2 Select an object. Select Display > Hide > Hide Geometry and select the geometry components you want to hide. You can hide NURBS Surfaces, NURBS Curves, Polygon Surfaces, Deforming Geometry, Subdiv Surfaces, Strokes, Stroke Path Curves, and Stroke Control Curves. If you select All, all geometry is hidden, whether it is selected or not. Maya displays the object with the specified component hidden. In the following illustration, the NURBS surfaces associated with a sample object are hidden.
NURBS surfaces shown
NURBS surfaces hidden
Hiding kinematics
Kinematics is the study of motion without consideration to the cause of that motion. You can hide and show kinematic components. For information on kinematics, see Using Maya: Character Setup. To hide a kinematic component: 1 2 Select an object. Select Display > Hide > Hide Kinematics and select the components you want to hide. You can hide Joints, and IK handles. If you select All, all kinematic components are hidden, whether they are selected or not. Maya displays the object with the specified component hidden. In the following illustration, an objects joints are hidden.
Joints shown
Joints hidden
Hiding deformers
Deformers are operations you apply to one or more geometry objects to change their shape. You use the Hide and Show Deformers menus to control the display of the influence objects for some deformation types. This helps reduce clutter when you're not actively editing those parts of your scene. For information on deformers, see Using Maya: Character Setup. To hide a deformer: 1 2 Select an object. Select Display > Hide > Hide Deformers and select the components you want to hide. You can hide Lattices, Sculpt Objects, Clusters, Nonlinears, Wrap Influences, and Smooth Skin Influences. If you select All, all deformers are hidden, whether they are selected or not. Maya displays the object with the specified deformer hidden. In the following illustration, the objects clusters are hidden.
Clusters shown
Clusters hidden
Isolating selected objects or components
ISOLATING SELECTED OBJECTS OR COMPONENTS

Use the Isolate Select feature (Show > Isolate Select > View Selected) to quickly isolate objects or components in a view panel. You simply select the items, choose Show > Isolate Select > View Selected, and all other objects and components in your scene become hidden. Unlike the Display > Hide commands, which hide mostly objects, the Isolate Select feature can also isolate components. For example, by selecting polygonal faces, you could isolate the head of a model. Another difference is Isolate Select affects screen display only, while Display > Hide commands also affect rendering.
Isolate Select works on a per-panel basis for any view panel (perspective or orthographic). The components you can select for isolation are: CVs of NURBS surfaces faces of a polygon mesh faces of a subdivision surface mesh Other components cannot be selected for isolation, such as NURBS patches, curve segments, particles, or lattice points. However, you can still see and manipulate other component types within the items you have isolated. Use the Show > Isolate Select menu to control the isolate select feature. The menu options are described below.
Tip Keep open at least one other workspace panel with isolate select turned off so you can select other items. Also, tearing off the Isolate Select submenu gives you quick access to these commands.
View Selected
Activates or deactivates the isolate select feature. When activated, the word Isolate appears at the bottom of the panel and the current selection becomes isolated.
Displaying object components
Auto Load New Objects Auto Load Selected Objects
Turn on to automatically update the isolate select panel when you add new objects or change your selection. If turned off, you must use the Load, Add, or Remove Selected Objects options to update the panel.
Load Selected Objects Add Selected Objects Remove Selected Objects
If you dont have auto load on, you can use these options to control the isolate select display. Select items from the isolate panel or another panel and then load, add, or remove them as needed. Note that Load Selected Objects replaces the display with the current selection, while Add Selected Objects adds the current selection to the selections already displaying.
Bookmarks
Enables you to bookmark an isolated selection. To create a bookmark, choose Show > Isolate Select > Bookmarks > Bookmark Current Objects. Choose the option box if you want to name the bookmark; otherwise, a default name is used. To view bookmarked items, choose Show > Isolate Select > Bookmarks > BookmarkName. Choose it again to turn it off and return to the previous view. You can view multiple bookmarks at the same time. Bookmarks are saved with the scene as a set. You can edit or delete these sets using the Relationship Editor. For more information on sets, see Chapter 11, Sets and Partitions.
DISPLAYING OBJECT COMPONENTS

To help control screen clutter and display performance, you can turn on or off the display of specific object components, on an object-by-object basis. To display an objects components: 1 2
Backfaces
Select an object. Select Display > Component Display and select one of the following options: If you selected a polygonal object, turns on or off the display of the objects backfaces.
Backfaces Lattice Points
No backfaces
If you selected a lattice deformer (an L icon represents a lattice deformer handle), turns on or off the display of the lattice points. For information on lattices, see Using Maya: Character Setup.
Displaying geometry components
Lattice Shape
If you selected a lattice deformer, turns on or off the display of the objects lattice shape. The lattice deformer switches between displaying its lattices and the L icon. For information on lattices, see Using Maya: Character Setup. Turns on or off the display of the objects local rotation axes. For information on axes, see "Using axes and pivot points" on page 84. Turns on or off the display of the objects rotate pivots. For information on pivot points, see "Using axes and pivot points" on page 84. Turns on or off the display of the objects scale pivots. For information on pivot points, see "Using axes and pivot points" on page 84. Turns on or off the display of selection handles on manipulators. For information on manipulator selection handles, see "About manipulator handles" on page 84.
Local Rotation Axes Rotate Pivots Scale Pivots Selection Handles
DISPLAYING GEOMETRY COMPONENTS

You can turn on or off the display of components specific to object type, including NURBS, polygons, and subdivision surfaces. You can also control the display smoothness of specific types of objects.
Use these submenus to turn on or off the display of components or to control the smoothness of specific types of objects
For details on using these submenus, see the appropriate modeling book: Using Maya: NURBS Modeling, Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling, or Using Maya: Subdivision Surfaces Modeling.
Displaying camera and light manipulators
DISPLAYING CAMERA AND LIGHT MANIPULATORS

If a camera or light is selected, you can turn its manipulators on or off. For more information on manipulators, see "Using manipulators" on page 83.
Displaying camera manipulator controls

Use the options on the Display > Camera/Light Manipulator menu to display manipulator components for the selected camera.
Clipping Panes Pivot
Center of Interest
Cycling Index Center of Interest Pivot Clipping Planes Cycling Index
Clipping Panes
Turns on or off the display of the cameras center of interest manipulator. Turns on or off the display of the cameras pivot. Turns on or off the display of the cameras clipping planes. Turns on or off the display of the cameras cycling index. By clicking on this control, you can cycle through the available manipulator controls one at a time for the selected camera.
Displaying camera and light manipulators
Displaying light manipulator controls

Use the options on the Display > Camera/Light Manipulator menu to display manipulator components for the selected light.
Decay regions (numbered rings)
Pivot Cone Angle Center of Interest Penumbra
Cycling Index
Center of Interest Pivot Cone Angle Penumbra
Turns on or off the display of a lights center of interest manipulator. Turns on or off the display of a lights pivot. Turns on or off the display of a lights cone angle. Turns on or off the display of a lights Penumbra. Barn doors are doors or shutters fitted on the spotlight, which let you create a square spot effect. Shows the view through the spotlights barn doors. These manipulators appear when you are in Render View or are looking through the selected light (Panels > Look Through Selected).
Look through Barn Doors
Decay Regions Cycling Index
Turns on or off the display of a lights decay regions. Turns on or off the display of the lights cycling index. By clicking on this control, you can cycle through the available manipulator controls for the selected light one at a time. For more information about creating lights and editing light attributes, see Using Maya: Rendering.
Working with templates
WORKING WITH TEMPLATES

Templates are objects that you can see but cannot select. If you make an object into a template, you cannot accidentally select it or modify it. You could make a background object into a template and use it as a modeling reference (the way a grid is used). To make an object into a template: 1 2 Select the object. Select Display > Object Display > Template. The object appears as a lighter colored wireframe to indicate it is a template. Any shading is turned off. To return a template to its standard display: 1 2 Select the object in the Outliner. On the Maya main menu bar, select Display > Object Display > Untemplate.
USING LAYERS
There are two types of layers: display layers and render layers. A display layer is a collection of objects that you can quickly select, hide, or template separate from other, distracting objects in the scene. For example, you can add a group of trees to a display layer and hide them so they dont distract you from viewing another part of the scene. Or you could create a template layer for the house of some creatures youre modeling so the house is visible as a size reference, but is not selectable. Display layers apply specifically to how objects display in the scene view. For more information, see "Editing display layers" on page 134. A render layer is a collection of objects that you can quickly render in separate passes, giving you more flexibility when the shot is composited. Once you have render layers set up, you can take advantage of the Render Layer/Pass Control settings in the Render Globals. For more information on these settings, see Using Maya: Rendering.Render layers apply specifically to rendering. For more information, see "Editing render layers" on page 137. You can use the Layer Editor to create and manage display and render layers.
Using layers
Using the Layer Editor

Use the Layer Editor to create, edit, and manage layers and their objects. If the Layer Editor is not displayed, click the Show or hide the Channel Box/Layer Editor button on the Status Line.
Select layer type
Create a new layer button Right-click a layer to open the pop-up menu
Increase or decrease width of the Layer Editor
To open the Layer menu: Select a layer in the Layer Editor and then select the Layer menu. or Right-click a layer in the Layer Editor. The pop-up menu appears, which is an abbreviated version of the Layer menu.
Note To edit or work with multiple layers, select them and then select the Layer menu. Please note that if you right-click a layer, your pop-up menu selection will only affect the layer beneath the mouse pointer.
Create Layer Delete Edit Layer Select Objects
Creates a new display layer or render layer, depending on the selection in the pulldown menu, with a default name, for example layer1. Deletes the selected layer(s), but not the objects in the layer. Opens the Edit Layer window for the selected layer(s) so you can edit layer attributes. Selects the objects contained in the selected layer(s). Adds the selected objects to the selected layer.
Add Selected Objects
Remove Objects Attributes
Removes all objects from the selected layer(s) and assigns them to the default layer. The selected layer(s) becomes empty so you can assign other objects. Opens the Attribute Editor for the selected layer(s). There are some attributes in the Attribute Editor not available through the Edit Layer window. See "Editing display layers" on page 134 and "Editing render layers" on page 137. Opens the Relationship Editor for removing or adding objects to layers.
Membership
Using layers
Select All Unused Layers
Selects all layers in the Layer Editor that do not have objects assigned to them. This option is only available from the Layer menu and not the right mouse button pop-up menu.
Remove Selected Object(s) from Layers
Removes the selected object(s) from the assigned layer(s). This option is only available from the Layer menu and not the right-mouse button pop-up menu.
Creating and naming layers

Follow these instructions to create and optionally name a layer. To create a new layer: 1 Select the desired type of layer from the pull-down menu and then click the Create a new layer button. A new layer is added to the Layer Editor with a default name, for example, layer1.
Assign objects to the layer; see the next topic Assigning objects to layers.
Note You can turn on or off Make New Layers Current in the Layer Editors Options menu. When this setting is on, you can create a new layer and Maya changes it to be the current layer. When this setting is off, the default layer remains the current layer, unless you select a different current layer in the layer attributes. To name a layer: 1 2 In the Layer Editor, double-click the layer you want to name. The Edit Layer window appears. Type a new name in the Name text box and click Save.
Assigning objects to layers

You can add selected objects to a layer, and you can move an object from one layer to another. An object can belong to only one layer at a time. To assign selected objects to a layer: 1 Select the objects you want to assign to the layer.
Using layers 2 In the Layer Editor, select the target layer and then select Layers > Add Selected Objects to Current Layer. or Right-click the target layer and select Add Selected Objects from the pop-up menu.
Note If the selected object already belongs to a layer, the object is transferred from its layer to the newly assigned layer.
Assigning objects at creation time

If you want objects you create to be automatically assigned to the current layer, turn on the Use Current Layer option. (The current layer is the one shown highlighted in the Layer Editor.) Select Options > Use Current Layer in the Layer Editor.
Removing objects from layers

When you remove an object from a layer, it automatically becomes part of the default layer. You cannot remove objects from the default layer. Alternatively you can manage objects in layers using the Relationship Editor (Layers > Membership). For more information, see "Using the Relationship Editor" on page 217. To remove a specific object from a layer: 1 2 3 In the workspace or Outliner, select the object(s) you want to remove. In the Layer Editor, select the layer you want to remove the object(s) from. Select Layers > Remove Selected Object(s) from Layers. To remove all objects from a layer: Select the layer(s) from which you want to remove the objects and then select Layers > Remove Objects from Selected Layer(s). or Right-click the desired layer and select Remove Objects.
Deleting layers
You can delete a layer that has objects assigned to it or you can delete an unused layer. To delete a layer: 1 2 Select the layer(s) in the Layer Editor. Select Layer > Delete Selected Layer(s). The layer is removed from the Layer Editor. If the layer had objects assigned to it, they are now assigned to the default layer.
Using layers
Note To delete unused layers, select Layer > Select Unused Layers and then select Layer > Delete Selected Layer(s).
Editing layers
You can change layer attributes directly in the Layer Editor by clicking on the layer swatches or you can use Edit Layer window. Display layers and render layers have unique attributes. For details on editing display layers, see "Editing display layers" on page 134. For details on editing render layers, see "Editing render layers" on page 137.
Editing display layers

There are attributes unique to display layers, including the Display Type and the Visibility. You can change some of the attributes directly in the Layer Editor using the layers indicators or you can use the Edit Layer window. There are additional display layer attributes that you can change using only the Attribute Editor. See "To modify display layer attributes using the Attribute Editor:" on page 136.
Note To rename a display layer, see "To name a layer:" on page 132. To edit a display layer directly in the Layer Editor: Click the attributes indicator until it displays the desired value.
Template Type Invisible Visible Normal Type Reference Type Color indicator Click the first indicator to turn visibility on (V) or off (blank). Click the second indicator to change the display type to Template (T), Reference (R), or Normal (blank). Double-click the third indicator to view and select from the Color palette.
To edit a display layer using the Edit Layer window: 1 Select a display layer and select Layers > Edit Selected Layer(s). or Right-click a display layer and select Edit Layer from the pop-up menu. The Edit Layer window appears.
Using layers
2
Name Display Type
Modify the display layer attributes as desired and click Save. Optionally, specify a name for the display layer. Specify a type of display layer.
Normal
When you create a new layer, it is Normal, meaning objects display normally. This is the default state that allows you to select and snap to objects. Objects in a template layer are visible, but you cannot select, modify, or snap to them. Objects in a template layer appear in a different color. For details, see "Working with templates" on page 130. Like template layers, objects in a reference layer are visible, but you cannot select them or modify them. However you can snap to them.
Template
Reference
Note Each scene has a default layer that consists of all objects that have not been assigned to any other layer. When you remove an object from a layer, it becomes a member of the default layer.
Visible Color
Turn on or off the visibility of objects in the layer. Select a color to assign to all objects in the currently selected layer.
Note If you change the color of objects in a display layer, the objects color change appears in the scene only if these objects are part of a Normal layer. Color changes do not affect objects in the default layer, in a Template layer, or in a Reference layer.
Using layers
Normal objects
Template objects
To modify display layer attributes using the Attribute Editor: 1 Select a layer in the Layer Editor and then select Layers > Layer Attributes. or Right-click a layer in the Layer Editor and select Attributes from the pop-up menu. The Attribute Editor opens. 2
Display Layer Enable Overrides Display Type
Modify the layer attributes as desired and click Close. Type the name of the layer. Turn this option off to disable the effects of the layer. Objects in the layer will appear and behave as though they do not belong to the layer. Select how the layer will display.
Normal Template
Objects in the layer display normally, according to the settings for the layer. You can select objects in the layer and snap to them. Objects in the layer become templates. You can see template objects in the workspace, but you cannot select them, nor can you snap them. You can snap to objects in the layer, but you cannot select them or modify them. Displays full detail for layer objects. Shows objects as boxes that represent their bounding volumes. Bounding boxes speed up Maya operations making a significant difference for complex models.
Reference Level of Detail
Select the level of display detail for layer objects:

Full Bounding Box
Shading Texturing Playback
Turn on to make layer objects appear shaded when in shaded display. Turn on to show textures on layer objects when in shaded display. Turn on to animate layer objects during playback. If you have several characters in a scene and want to look at each characters animation separately, you can place each character in its own layer and play back the animation of each character as desired. Turn on to make the objects in the layer visible.
Visible
Using layers
Color Number
Select the color of all objects belonging to the layer. This is the number assigned to the layer.
Merging display layers when importing files

To facilitate the merging of layers when you read in files, select Window > Settings/ Preferences > Preferences, click the Files/Projects category, and in the Display Layer section select one of the following options for File Import Merge:
None By Number By Name
All layers read in will be put in a new layer, and renumbered and renamed, if necessary to preserve uniqueness. All layers read in that have the same index number as an existing layer will be merged with that layer rather than creating a new layer. All layers read in that have the same name as an existing layer will be merged with that layer rather than creating a new layer.
Editing render layers

There are attributes unique to render layers, including the Renderable attribute. You can change this attribute directly in the Layer Editor or you can use the Edit Layer window. There are additional render layer attributes that you can change using only the Attribute Editor. These attributes are also found in the Render Layer/Pass Control settings in the Render Globals. See Using Maya: Rendering.
Note To rename a render layer, see "To name a layer:" on page 132.
Note You cant change the color of render layer objects. To edit a render layer directly in the Layer Editor: Click the Renderable attribute indicator until it displays the desired value. The Renderable indicator is marked R if Renderable is on and blank if its off.
Renderable is on Renderable is off
To edit a render layer using the Edit Layer window: 1 Select a render layer and select Layers > Edit Selected Layer(s).
Using layers or Right-click a render layer and select Edit Layer from the pop-up menu. The Edit Layer window appears.
2
Name Renderable
Modify the render layer attributes as desired and click Save. Optionally, specify a name for the render layer. Controls whether the objects in the layer actually render. This command can be useful for performing test renders, but the main controls for rendering layers are in the Render Layer/Pass Control settings in the Render Globals. For more information on these settings, see Using Maya: Rendering. To modify render layer attributes using the Attribute Editor:
Select a layer in the Layer Editor and then select Layers > Layer Attributes. or Right-click a layer in the Layer Editor and select Attributes from the pop-up menu. The Attribute Editor opens.
Modify the layer attributes as desired and click Close. For information on these attributes, see Render Layer Options in Using Maya: Rendering.
6
SNAPPING
MODELING AIDS
Maya has many features that help you build and position objects. This section describes some of those features and tells how to use them. For a comprehensive guide to modeling features, see Using Maya: NURBS Modeling, Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling, and Using Maya: Subdivision Surfaces Modeling.
The snap options let you control an object or components position by attaching it to a grid, point, curve, or view plane. As you draw, rotate, resize, or drag the object, it snaps to the grid, point, curve, or view plane.
Snapping icons
Four icons in the Status Line control snap mode as you move or rotate objects and create curves:
a Sn p to a g Sn p to rid s a Sn p t cur v o ap p es to oin vi ts ew pl a ne
Snap to grids
Snaps a vertex (CV or polygonal vertex) or pivot point to a grid corner. If you select Snap to grids before you create a curve, its vertices snap to the grid corners. For more information on CVs, see Using Maya: NURBS Modeling. Snaps a vertex (CV or polygonal vertex) or pivot point to a curve or curve on surface. Snaps a vertex (CV or polygonal vertex) or pivot point to a point. Snaps a vertex (CV or polygonal vertex) or pivot point to a view plane.
Snap to curves Snap to points Snap to view planes
Sn
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Snapping To snap an object or object component to a grid, curve, point, or view plane: 1 To snap to a grid, select Display > Grid to display a grid in your workspace. or To snap to a curve, create a curve. or To snap to a point, create an object with several CVs or vertices (for example, a curve). or To snap to a view plane, select a view (perspective, top, front, or side). 2 3 Click the appropriate snap icon in the Status Line. Select the object or object component you want to snap to the grid, curve, point, or view plane. If you are snapping an object component (for example, a vertex, edit point, hull, or curve on surface), use the Select by component type icon on the Status Line to select the component. For information on selecting by component, see "Limiting selection by component type" on page 147. Note that when you select several components, each component snaps to the same point. 4 Click the Move Tool icon. When you select several components, the move manipulator is placed at the center of the selections bounding box. 5 6 If you are snapping to a point, right-click on the object with the vertices you are snapping to and select Control Vertex or Vertex, to display the vertices. Use the middle mouse button to click and drag anywhere on the grid, curve, points, or view plane. The object snaps to the grid, curve, points, or view plane. You can now move the object along the grid, curve, point, or view plane.
Snapping hotkeys
The hotkeys for snapping are:
x for grid snap c for curve snap v for point snap
To use the grid snap hotkey: 1 2 Select the object or component you want to snap and click the Move Tool icon. Press and hold down the x key while click-dragging on the grid with the middle mouse button.
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Snapping To use the curve snap hotkey: 1 2 Select the object or component you want to snap and click the Move Tool icon. Press and hold down the c key while click-dragging on the curve you want to snap to with the middle mouse button. To use the point snap hotkey: 1 2 3 Select the object or component you want to snap and select the Move Tool. Right-click the object with vertices (CVs or polygonal) that you want to snap to (for example, a curve), and select Control Vertex or Vertex to display the vertices. Press and hold down the v key and click-drag the selected object with the right mouse button to the point you want to snap to.
Snapping along a constraint axis

You can constrain object positioning along a particular axis. If you turn on snapping and drag a Move Tool manipulator arrow (as opposed to dragging the pivot point), Maya uses a combination of the snap and the axis constraint. If you are using grid snap, Maya snaps to the nearest grid line along the specified axis. If you are using point snap and grab the end of the arrow, the manipulator has an initial jump because the center of the manipulator (not the tip) follows the mouse position. It is useful to snap to an axis when you want to align a group of vertices to a particular Y position.
Tip To minimize the initial jump, click closer to (but not on) the center of the manipulator. This is especially important if you are using a large arrow on the manipulator. To change the size of the manipulator arrows, press the = and - keys.
Snapping to a curve on surface or isoparm curve

A curve on surface is a curve you have either plotted directly onto a live surface in UV parameter space, rather than a curve in world space or projected onto a surface as a result of a project or intersect function. Curves on surfaces are often used for trimming. You can use Snap to curves to snap to an isoparm curve or a curve on surface. This is useful if you want to snap a pivot to the edge of a surface. But if you are moving vertices on a surface (with curve snap on) you can accidentally snap to a curve on surface.
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Snapping
Tip To avoid unintentional snapping, use the c hotkey instead of the Snap to curves icon in the Status Line. See "To use the curve snap hotkey:" on page 141.
Snapping aligning objects

Instead of using the Move and Rotate Tools, you can easily move an object to a specific point by snap aligning the object. You can snap a point directly to any other point (where a point can be a surface point, curve intersection point, vertex, locator, etc.).
2 Select destination point
3 Snap Align Objects Point to Point
1 Select snap point
If you select two points on each object, the points define an axis snap, which means the object will be rotated as well as translated. This technique is useful for orienting one object with another along some arbitrary axis.
Tip Use the shift key to select more than one point or object.
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Snapping
3 1
1 Select snap axis 2 Select destination axis
3-4 Snap Align Objects Two Points to Two Points (e.g. locators)
If you select three points on each object, you can specify exactly how the objects should be aligned against eachother. For example, you could be modeling a house and a roof and need to join the two parts together. In addition, you can snap align a selection of objects to an axis or axes in 3D space using the Align Objects Options window. See "To snap align objects:" on page 144. To snap a point to another point: 1 2 3 Select the point that you want to snap to another point. Shift-click to select the point you want to snap to the first point. Select Modify > Snap Align Objects > Point to Point. The first selected point snaps to the second selected point. Note that the whole object is translated, not just the select point. For example, if you used CVs as points, the selected CV is not moved alone, but the entire surface is.
Note If the objects are part of a group(s), then you can control the alignment by specifying the Object, Parent, or Grandparent option in the Options window. To snap two points to two points: 1 2 3 4 Select the first point on the snap axis. Shift-click to select the second point on the snap axis. This defines the snap axis. Shift-click to select the first point on the destination axis. The first point you selected in step 1 will snap to this point. Shift-click to select the second point to define the destination axis. This defines the destination axis.
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Snapping 5 Select Modify > Snap Align Objects > Two Points to Two Points. The first selected point snaps to the third selected point, and the axis defined in steps 1 and 2 lines up with the axis defined in steps 3 and 4. To snap three points to three points: 1 2 Select three points on an object. Use shift-click to select the second and third points. Shift-click to select three points on the destination object. Select the points on the destination object in the order you want the snap to occur. The first point should correspond to the first point selected on the other object, and so on. 3 Select Modify > Snap Align Objects > 3 Points to 3 Points. To snap align objects: 1 2 Select the objects and then select Modify > Snap Align Objects > Align Objects . The Align Objects Options window appears. Specify the following options and then click Align.
Align Mode
You can select from one of five different alignment modes according to the objects bounding boxes.
Min Mid Max Dist Stack
Aligns selected objects according to the minimum value of the objects bounding boxes in the chosen axes. Aligns selected objects according to the middle value of the objects bounding boxes in the chosen axes. Aligns selected objects according to the maximum value of the objects bounding boxes in the chosen axes. Aligns selected objects so the space between the their bounding boxes is evenly distributed in the chosen axes. Aligns selected objects so their bounding boxes are positioned adjacently in the chosen axes. Sets the world X axis as the alignment axis. Sets the world Yaxis as the alignment axis. Sets the world Z axis as the alignment axis.
Align In
You can select an axis or multiple axes in which to align the selected objects.
World X World Y World Z
Align to
You can use this pull-down menu to specify how to align objects in the Min, Mid, and Max modes. This pull-down menu does not apply to the Dist (Distribute) or Stack modes.
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Snapping
Selection Average Last Selected Object
Uses the average minimum, middle, or maximum value of the objects bounding boxes as the alignment reference. Uses the minimum, middle, or maximum value of the bounding box of the last selected object as the alignment reference.
The following are examples of using the Align Objects options.

Objects before aligning Max, World Y, Selection Average
Min, World X, Last Selected Object
Mid, World Y, Last Selected Object Stack, World Y
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Limiting selections
LIMITING SELECTIONS
Because Maya works on a selection-based mode, picking items is critical to modeling. If you forget what needs to be picked for a tool or an action, hold and drag the mouse button over the menu item. The Help Line displays the type of selection required for the current item. You can limit the items you can select in the workspace to specific types of objects, components, or hierarchy elements. By limiting object selection, you can avoid unintentionally selecting a nearby object. Limiting object selection is also known as creating a pick mask or selection mask.
Limiting selection by object type

You can limit selection to various types of objects, such as NURBS curves. To select only a specific type of object: 1 Turn on the Select by object type icon.
Select by object type
2 3
Click the adjacent icon to display the Set the object selection mask pull-down menu and select All Objects Off. Turn on one of the following icons:
s ns ou tio ics ing ane s a s le s es ce m m er ll nd oint urv urfa efor yna end isce a H J C S D D R M
To further limit the items you can select, click the right mouse button on the icon and turn off the appropriate checkboxes. 4 5 Select the object. You can only select the type of object you have specified. To return to the default selection mask, click the left-most icon in the Status Line to display the Set the selection mask pull-down menu and select Initial Default. Example Suppose youve created a tubular object and want to select the joint chain within the object.
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Limiting selections
Joint
1 2 3 4 5
Turn on the Select by object type icon. Click the icon to the right and select All Objects Off.
Turn on the Joints icon. Click the objects root joint. The root and its children become the selected objects. To return to Mayas default selection mask, click the left-most Line and select Initial Default. icon in the Status
Limiting selection by component type

You can limit your selection to a specific type of object component, such as polygonal vertices.
Using the selection mask to select components

To select only a type of component: 1 2 Select the object that has the components you want to select. Turn on the Select by component type icon.
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Select by component type
3 4
Click the adjacent icon to display the Set the component selection mask pull-down menu and select All Components Off. Turn on one of the following icons:
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Limiting selections To further limit the items you can select, click the right mouse button on the icon and turn off the appropriate checkboxes. 5 Select the component. If you didnt previously select the object containing the component, the objects components will be displayed but not selected. Select the component again. Maya selects only the specified type of component. 6 To return to Mayas default selection mask, click the left-most icon in the Status Line to display the Set the selection mask pull-down menu and select Initial Default.
Using the Paint Selection Tool to paint-select components

You can select, unselect, and toggle the selection of vertices by painting over them with the Paint Selection Tool. You can also use the Paint Selection Tool to select, unselect, and toggle the selection of faces and edges on polygons and subdivision surfaces. Painting gives you much greater control when selecting components and enables you to work much faster. The vertices in the following illustration were selected in seconds with a single brush stroke.
You can apply global selections to the entire selected surface. With the click of a button, you can select, unselect, or toggle the selection all the components on a surface. To select, unselect, or toggle the selection of vertices: 1 2 3 Select the surface. Select the Paint Selection Tool and open the Tool Settings editor (Edit > Paint Selection Tool ). Maya switches to component mode automatically. In the Paint Operation section, select a paint operation (Select, Unselect, or Toggle) and then drag the brush across the surface. or To select, unselect, or toggle the selection of all the vertices on the selected surface, click Select All, Unselect All, or Toggle All, respectively. For details, see "Paint Operations" on page 149. To select polygon or subdivision surface faces: 1 2 3 Select the surface. Select the Paint Selection Tool and open the Tool Settings editor (Edit > Paint Selection Tool ). Right-click the surface and select Face from the marking menu,
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Limiting selections 4 In the Paint Operation section, select a paint operation (Select, Unselect, or Toggle) and then drag the brush across the surface. or To select, unselect, or toggle the selection of all the faces on the selected surface, click Select All, Unselect All, or Toggle All, respectively. For details, see "Paint Operations" on page 149. To select polygon or subdivision surface edges: 1 2 3 4 Select the surface. Select the Paint Selection Tool and open the Tool Settings editor (Edit > Paint Selection Tool ). Right-click the surface and select Edge from the marking menu, In the Paint Operation section, select a paint operation (Select, Unselect, or Toggle) and then drag the brush across the surface. or To select, unselect, or toggle the selection of all the edges on the selected surface, click Select All, Unselect All, or Toggle All, respectively. For details, see "Paint Operations" on page 149.
Paint Selection Tool settings

To modify Paint Selection Tool settings, select the Paint Selection Tool and open the Tool Settings editor (Edit > Paint Selection Tool ). Maya switches to component mode automatically. Paint Operations settings are described below. For details on Brush, Stroke, Stylus Pressure, Attribute Maps, and Display settings, see <A HREF =../Painting/PaintToolSettings3.html#1001921 TARGET=_blank>Paint Tool settings (new architecture)</A> in Using Maya: Painting.
Tip You can define hotkey combinations to change most of the settings without opening the Tool Settings editor. For details on setting hotkey combinations, see Defining Artisan hotkeys in Using Maya: Painting. Paint Operations Select a paint operation and paint, or click a paint operation button to perform the operation.
Paint Operation
Select one of the following paint operations.

Select Unselect Toggle
Selects painted components. Unselects selected painted components. Unselects selected components and selects unselected components.
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Limiting selections
Select
Unselect
Toggle
Tips To unselect selected components while Select is chosen, press the Ctrl key and paint over them. Similarly, when Unselect is chosen, press the Ctrl key and paint to select unselected components. Press u + left mouse button and select the paint operation from the marking menu instead of the from the Tool Settings editor.
Add to Current Selection
By default, this option is turned on so that each stroke adds to the previous selection. This means you do not have to press the Shift key when you make a brush stroke to select, unselect, or toggle the selection of more components. If you want each stroke to override the previous one, turn Add to Current Selection off.
Select All Unselect All Toggle All
Selects all components on the selected surface(s). Unselects all selected components on the selected surface(s). Selects all unselected components and unselects all selected components on the selected surface(s).
Before selection
Select All
Unselect All
Toggle All
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Limiting selections
Limiting selection to hierarchy items

You can limit selection to the following hierarchy items: root a heirarchys top object leaf descendent object For information about hierarchies, see "Understanding scene hierarchy terminology" on page 265. To select only a hierarchy root or leaf: 1 Turn on the Select by hierarchy and combinations icon.
Select by hierarchy and combinations
Turn on the Root or Leaf icon.
Leaf Root
or Click the adjacent icon to display the Set the hierarchy selection mask pull-down menu and select Root or Leaf. 3 4 Select the object. Notice you can select only a root or leaf object. To return to Mayas default selection mask, click the left-most icon in the Status Line to display the Set the selection mask pull-down menu and select Initial Default.
Limiting selection to template objects

You can limit your selections to template objects. To select only a template object: 1 Turn on the Select by hierarchy and combinations icon.
Select by hierarchy and combinations
Turn on the Template icon.

Template
or Click the adjacent icon to display the Set the hierarchy selection mask pull-down menu and select Template. 3 4 Select the object. Maya selects only a template object. To return to Mayas default selection mask, click the left-most icon in the Status Line to display the Set the selection mask pull-down menu and select Initial Default.
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Limiting selections
Limiting selection by task

You can limit your selection to the objects or components that pertain to types of Maya tasks. For instance, you can limit selection to objects and components relevant to dynamics tasks. To limit selection by Maya task: 1 If the Set the selection mask pull-down menu selection set icons on the Status Line. icon isnt showing, expand the
Click the bar to expand
Click the icon to display the Set the selection mask pull-down menu and select one of these categories: Animation Polygons NURBS Deform Dynamics Rendering This creates a selection mask that limits selection to the objects and components in the chosen category.
Do one of the following: To select an object in the chosen category, drag a selection box around the object. To select a component in the chosen category, click the component directly. You usually need to display components before you can select them. For example, to select CVs, first select Display > NURBS Components > CVs to display them and the select the desired CVs. If you drag the selection box around any of the CVs, you select the CVs rather than the object. To use the default Maya selection limitations: Click the Set the selection mask pull-down menu Initial Default. To allow selection of all objects: Click the Set the selection mask pull-down menu All Objects. icon in the Status Line and select icon in the Status Line and select
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Freezing and resetting transformations
Tip You can customize the priority of object or component selection for situations where you drag a selection box around multiple objects or components. To prioritize object selection: 1 2 3 4 5 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences and choose the Selection category. Select Custom from the PreSets pull-down menu. Select an item in the Priority list. Enter a priority number for the item in the data box. Higher numbers have higher priority. Click Save when done.
Moving selection limitations to the shelf

You can put your selection limitation choices on a shelf for future use. To move selection limitations to a shelf: 1 2 3 4 Select a shelf tab. Turn on the object or component selection limitation icons. Right-click individual icons to turn on or off item checkboxes. Click the adjacent icon to display the Set the (type) selection mask pull-down menu and select Save to Shelf. An icon labeled MEL appears on the shelf. If you click this icon, the selection limitations take effect and the Status Line icons show the selection limitations. You can change the MEL icon, as described in "Changing shelf icons" on page 345. If you want to add an icon label, see "Setting Shelf options" on page 348.
FREEZING AND RESETTING TRANSFORMATIONS

Before animating a model you just created, you may want to freeze its transformation. Freezing sets the existing translation, rotation, or scale for selected objects to be the initial state. The result is that transform values change to zero (or one for scale), but the object itself remains in place. You can also reset an objects transformations at any time. The reset command transforms the object back to the translation, rotation, and scale it was when created or last frozen. You can apply these operations separately for translation, rotation, or scale. To freeze or reset an object: 1 2 Select one or more objects that you have moved, rotated, or resized. Choose Modify > Freeze (or Reset) Transformations .
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Locking transform tools and manipulators 3 4 In the Options window, turn on or off Translate, Rotate, or Scale, as needed. Click Appy and then Close.
LOCKING TRANSFORM TOOLS AND MANIPULATORS

If you are going to be using a single tool on an object for a long time, you can lock the transform toolsMove, Rotate, Scaleand the Show Manipulator Tools. It is also useful to lock tools when you use a stylus input device. After you lock a tool, you cant use the left mouse button to select objects in the workspace. The left mouse button works the same way as the middle mouse button does during normal use of the Move, Rotate, Scale, or Manipulator Tools. If you need to select objects after locking a tool, use the Outliner or Hypergraph. To lock the Move, Rotate, Scale, or Show Manipulator Tool: 1 2 3 Select the object. Select the tool. Turn on the Lock current selection icon in the Status Line.
To unlock the tool and return to normal mouse usage, turn off the icon.
USING CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

When you create an object surface using deformers or certain modeling tools, Maya keeps a construction history for the object. A construction history is a record of the options, geometry, and modeling actions that you used to create the object. You can use the construction history to modify an object by making simple changes to the original elements of the history. You dont have to repeat all the steps that went into the objects creation. Construction history adds complexity to a scene and therefore slows Maya operation. For this reason you might decide to turn it off for some scenes. You can turn off the creation of construction history for all subsequent modeling activities. If you do this, you wont be able to tweak history options and geometry for object surfaces you create afterwards. Alternatively, you can delete a single objects construction history.
Note Construction history and future operations are synonomous with construction inputs and outputs. To turn off construction history for all objects: Turn off the Construction History icon in the Status Line.
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Using construction history
Tip When you attach curves or animate CVs, turn construction history off or you may get unexpected results. To delete an objects construction history: 1 2 Select the object. Select Edit > Delete by Type > History.
Tip If you animate CVs on an object that was created with history, do not delete the objects history. The CV animation may not be correct and unexpected results will occur. To use the construction history to modify an object: 1 2 3 Select the object. Click either the construction inputs or outputs icon on the Status Line and select the desired input or output from the pop-up menu. Modify the inputs in the Channel Box or in the Attribute Editor. To view the construction history list window: 1 2 Select the object. Click either the construction inputs or outputs icon on the Status Line and select Complete List from the pop-up menu. The List of History/Future Operations window appears for the selected object. Specify the options and then click Close. Select a node state from the pull-down menu.
Normal Blocking Filter
3
Node State
Displays the object/component normally. Hides the object/component and disables it so its not included in animation or rendering. The node is listed in the List of History/Future Operations window. The node is not listed in the List of History/Future Operations window.
Specify a filter option from the pull-down menu.

List Include
Tip In the List of History/Future Operations window, in some cases you may select and drag an item using the middle mouse button to rearrange the items position in the list. You can use this procedure for deformers, but not modeling operations.
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Making objects live
Tip Select an object and then press A and hold down the left mouse button on the object to open a marking menu of history and future options. Examples of using construction history: If you create two curves with a loft between them, you can modify the loft inputs easily, move curves on CVs, and rebuild more or less points on it. Use the List of History/Future Operations window to block Global Stitch when animating, as it slows Maya down, and then turn it back on (Normal Node State) for rendering.
MAKING OBJECTS LIVE

When you make an object live, you can use its surface as a construction aid. You can make NURBS surfaces, poly meshes, and construction planes into live objects. Making a NURBS surface live is one way to create a curve on surface.
Note Only one object can be live at a time. The live object displays in a special green color in wireframe mode to indicate its status. To make an object live: 1 2 3 Select the object. Select Modify > Make Live or click the Make Live icon on the Status Line.
To turn off a live object, select Modify > Make Not Live or click the Make Live icon again. To create a curve on surface by placing it onto a live surface:
1 2 3
Select the surface. Select Modify > Make Live or click the Make Live icon on the Status Line. Use any curve creation tool to draw the curve directly onto the surface.
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Creating levels of detail
The sphere is live. When drawing the EP curve, it snaps to the spheres surface.
The sphere is not live. When drawing the EP curve, it does not snap to the spheres surface.
Notes All creation tools respect a live surface. Actions do not. You can use Make Live to place particles on an object's surface or on joints and polygons. When an object is live and the Move Tool is the current tool, the active object snaps to the live object.
CREATING LEVELS OF DETAIL

You can group geometry into a special Level of Detail group, which means that depending on how far the group is from the camera, a different child, or resolution, of the group is displayed. An object can have any number of levels of detail, but typically 3 to 5 levels are used in the creation of a game. Level 1 is drawn when the object is closest to the camera and it typically has the most geometry. Level N is drawn when the object is far away from the camera and has the least amount of geometry. This level can be empty. Creating levels of detail can involve one or more artists/programmers, and two tasks. The first task is to create the models for each level. The second task is to set up the order of the models (usually by complexity) and the distances at which each level is drawn.
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Notes Setting up level of detail will not work if you specify less than two levels of detail. Different levels can come from different sets, layers, and can be reference objects. Level of Detail only supports discrete levels of detail. For example, there is no blending between levels. You can use NURBS, polygons, or subdivision surfaces to create the different levels, and each level can use a different geometry type if you want.
To create levels of detail: 1 Create models to represent different levels of detail, in order of geometric complexity. The models can be in different layers or sets, or they can be referenced objects. 2 Position the models together in a modeling view at approximately the distance that you want the middle object to appear in the level of detail. Positioning the objects together helps you keep track of them in cases where you have multiple groups and many models in the same scene. 3 4 Look through the camera to which you want to associate the level of detail group. Do one of the following: Select the models in the order you want them to appear in the level of detail group (either lowest to highest or highest to lowest), then select Edit > Level of Detail > Group. Select a camera and the models in the order you want them to appear in the level of detail group, then select Edit Level of Detail > Group. The selected camera is used in the level of detail group. The objects are grouped under a new node, called lodGroup#, which is linked to the camera through which you are looking. 5 Preview the levels by zooming in and out.
Note Only one of the levels is visible at a time. The levels switch as you zoom in and out.
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Changing the Threshold distances

You can change the distances at which the levels are switched using the Channel Box. To change a Threshold distance: 1 Select the level of detail group node in the Hypergraph. Its level of detail attributes are displayed in the Channel Box. 2 Edit the Threshold value for the object whose distance you want to change, and press Enter.
Re-ordering the levels

You can re-order the levels after you create a level of detail group. To re-order the levels in the Outliner: In the Outliner, use the middle mouse button to drag the object you want to move into its new position within the group. This is the easiest way to re-order the levels. To re-order the levels in the Hypergraph: 1 In the Hypergraph, use the middle mouse button to remove the object you want to re-order from the group. The other objects in the group move up the group hierarchy. 2 Use the middle mouse button to drag the removed object onto the lodGroup node. The object is added to the bottom of the lodGroups hierarchy.
Tip You can also re-order a group by selecting Edit > Level of Detail > Ungroup. Re-order the objects and create a new group.
Adding and editing levels

To add a new level: 1 2 Create a new object to add to the level of detail group. Do one of the following: In the Hypergraph, use the middle mouse button to drag the new object onto the lodGroup node. In the Outliner, use the middle mouse button to drag the new object onto the group. The new object is added to the bottom of the lodGroups hierarchy.
Tip You can also re-order a group by selecting Edit > Level of Detail > Ungroup. Re-order the objects and create a new group.
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Previewing more than one object at the same time

You can preview different objects at the same time to compare them. To view more than one object: 1 In the Hypergraph, select the level of detail group node. The nodes attributes are displayed in the Channel Box. Each Display Level has three possible settings: uselod, show, and hide. 2 3 Use the left mouse button to click on one of the Display Levels uselod text. A dropdown menu with the three options is displayed. Select one of the options. You can show or hide any combination of objects.
Tip Reset the Display Levels to uselod to return to the regular level of detail behavior.
Notes about orthographic cameras and level of detail

Level of Detail displays one child of a level of detail group, depending on the groups distance to a camera. For perspective cameras, this means measuring the distance between the camera position to the center of the bounding box of the group. For orthographic cameras, the distance is measured differently. This is because zooming, panning, and dollying in an orthographic view does not change the camera position, but instead changes the cameras orthographic width. So the distance is measured as:
distance = (default camera distance) * (cameras orthographic width)/(default orthographic width)
Substituting Mayas default values in this equation results in the following:

distance = 3.333 * (cameras orthographic width)
MANAGING FILES AND PROJECTS

Maya includes many features to help you manage your files and projects. This chapter describes how to create scenes, open and save scenes, import and export files, how to create and edit projects, and what files formats are supported by Maya.
CREATING A NEW SCENE

When you create a new scene file, the current scene file is closed and a new, empty scene appears. To create a new scene: 1 Select File > New Scene. If you havent saved the current scene, a warning dialog box appears. 2 To save the contents of the current scene file, click Yes. To discard the present scene file, click No.
OPENING A SCENE
When you open a scene, Maya tries to read the scenes contents through a filter based on currently supported file formats. For a list of file types you can open in Maya, see "Supported file formats" on page 174. To open a scene: 1 Select File > Open Scene. Maya displays a file browser. When you start up Maya, the file browser automatically goes to the scenes directory of your current project. For information on setting projects, see "Creating projects" on page 171.
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Opening a scene
To display all the file types you can open, select Best Guess from the Files of type pull-down menu (Windows only). or To display specific file types, select the file type from the Files of type pull-down menu (Windows only).
Navigate to the file you want to open and click Open or double-click the file.
Note Maya lists the files you have opened in the current Maya session on the Recent Files submenu. You can open these files at any time during the session by selecting File > Recent Files > filename.
Setting Open options

The Open Options window lets you set general options and options that are specific to file types. To set Open options: 1 Select File > Open Scene . or Select File > Open Scene and click the Options button in the Open window (Windows). Select File > Open Scene and select Options > Options in the Open window (UNIX). The Open Options window opens. 2 In the Open Options window, you can set the options listed below and then click Open to open a file

Opening a scene General options
File Type
Select the file format you want to use as a default for the next time you open a file. If you have a project set up, when you open a scene, the browser points to the directory containing files of that type. On Windows, it also sets the filter to display only files of the selected type. See "Creating projects" on page 171 for information on setting up projects. For example, if you set File Type to DXF, when you open a scene, the Open window displays the contents of CurrentProject/DXF. On Windows, it also sets your filter type to DXF. Depending on the File Type you select, various File Type Specific Options are displayed.
Execute Script Nodes
Script nodes contain Mel scripts in mayaAscii or mayaBinary files. You can designate a script node to execute its script when the node is read from a file, or before or after rendering a frame. You can create and edit the script nodes using the Expression Editor. See the chapter Using Script Nodes in the Using Maya: MEL book for information on creating and editing script nodes. User interface configuration information is stored inside the Maya scene file as an attribute on a script node. If you disable the Execute Script Nodes option, the UI script nodes are not executed. However, we recommend disabling script node execution only if you have an error in your script.
Load Deferred References
Turn on the Load Deferred References option to load referenced files that may have been unloaded. When you unload a reference, Maya removes the reference contents from the scene but remembers how the reference was connected into the scene. If you create a scene with references, unload some of them, and then save the scene, you have created some deferred references. If you turn on the Load Deferred References option, the deferred references are loaded when you open the scene. If you turn off Load Deferred References, the deferred references are not loaded when you open the scene. Turn on Load Deferred References when rendering a scene in which the animators were working with only part of the scene loaded when they saved the scene. mayaAscii, MayaBinary, and MEL. File Type Specific Options
Use Verbose Names
Displays the full names of node attributes in the file. For example, if you select the Use Verbose Names option, attribute names are listed as, setAttr.translate 0 0 0 when you open the Maya ASCII file in a text editor. If you turn off the Use Verbose Names option, attribute names are listed as setAttr .t 0 0 0.

Opening a scene OBJ File Type Specific Options
Create Multiple Objects
Specifies how shapes are created in OBJ files. Select True to create individual shapes based on grouping information specified in the OBJ file. Select False to create one shape for the entire file, with object sets corresponding to each of the specified groups. You cannot have overlapping groups. If you do, Maya informs you that overlapping groups exist, and re-reads the file as if the option were set to False. Sound (audio) File Type Specific Options
Sound File Offset
Specifies the time the sound should start playing. For example, suppose you created an animation of a bird walking a tightrope, and you wanted the sound file to play after the bird reached the end of the rope. If you knew that the bird reached the end of the tightrope at time 108, you would specify a sound file offset of 108. Move files You must import move files (see "Importing move files" on page 177). Anim files You must import anim files ("Importing animation curves" on page 179). Illustrator and EPS files You must import Illustrator and EPS files (see "Importing Adobe Illustrator and EPS files" on page 178).

Saving files
SAVING FILES
You use Save Scene and Save Scene As to save the current scene, save the current scene using a new name, or convert a file from Maya ASCII to Maya Binary and vice versa. To convert a file into formats other than Maya ASCII and Maya Binary, use the Export option ("Exporting files" on page 185). Before you save, we recommend that you optimize scene size for improved performance, memory use, and reduced use of disk space (File > Optimize > Scene Size ). For details, see "Optimizing scene size" on page 168. To save a scene file: 1 Select File > Save Scene. If you have not specified a name for the scene, the Save window opens: 2 Select mayaAscii or mayaBinary from the Write As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select mayaAscii or mayaBinary from the Files of type pull-down menu (Windows). This selects the format for your scene. Maya Binary files are usually smaller and load faster than Maya ASCII files. Maya ASCII files have the same information as Maya Binary files, and you can edit them using a text editor. Both types of files work with the UNIX operating system and the Windows operating system. 3 Type the name of the new file. Maya does not add a file extension by default. If you want Maya to add the .ma or .mb extension, change the Default File Extensions option (see page 167). 4 Click Save. Maya saves the contents of the file under the specified name.
Note If your scene includes referenced files, the Save Scene and Save Scene As options save your current working file. The names of files youve imported by reference do not change. To rename a scene file: 1 2 Select File > Save Scene As. The Save window opens. Type the new name of the file and then click Save. Maya saves the contents of the file under the specified name.

Saving files To convert a file: 1 2 3 Open the scene file. Select File > Save Scene As. Select mayaAscii or mayaBinary from Write As pull-down, depending on how you want to convert the scene. or Select mayaAscii or mayaBinary from the Files of type pull-down menu (Windows). 4 Click Save. Maya saves the scene in the specified format.
Setting save options

For your convenience, you can predefine some of the options that apply when you use Save Scene and Save Scene As. You can override these predefined options when you save the scene. To set Save Scene options: 1 2
Incremental Save
Select File > Save Scene . The Save Scene Options window opens. Set the options listed below and then click Save Scene to the save the scene or click Close to save the options without saving the scene. When Incremental Save is turned on and you save the scene, a backup folder by the same name is created in the scenes\incrementalsave folder and a backup is made of the file that was previously saved to disk. Each time you save, another backup file is created. These backup files are incremental (filename.001.mb, filename.002.mb) so the previous backup is not overwritten. The number of incremental backups created is infinite by default. Applies a limit to the number of incremental backup files that Maya creates and stores. The default limit is 20 increments.
Limit Incremental Saves
Number of Increments
Type a value or drag the slider to specify a limit.
Note When the Limit Increment Saves checkbox is turned on, Incremental Save stores only the limited number of incremental backup files. Once the limit is reached, Maya deletes the oldest incremental file and replaces it with the latest incremental backup file.

Saving files To set Save Scene As options: 1 2
File Type
Select File > Save Scene As . The Save Scene As Options window opens. You can set the following options in the Save Scene As Options window and click Save Scene As to save the scene. Sets the file type to mayaBinary or mayaAscii. The default is mayaBinary. Adds the file extension .ma to Maya ASCII filenames and .mb to Maya Binary filenames.
Default File Extensions
3D Paint Texture Options
These options define how Maya saves file textures created with the 3D Paint Tool when you save a scene. For information on using the 3D Paint Tool, see Using Maya: Painting.
Always
Saves different versions of the file textures when you save different versions of a scene. Use this setting if you are working on different iterations or versions of the file texture. Saves file textures only if the painted character is not referenced. When this option is selected, Maya uses the file textures from the referenced file, even if you save the scene with a new name. If the character is not referenced and you save a copy of the scene with this option selected, Maya creates a copy of the file textures. Does not save a new file texture. Use this setting if you are no longer changing the file textures and want to continue to use the saved file textures, even if you save the scene with a new name.
Unless Referenced
Never
Disk Cache Options
This refers to the new jiggle deformer requiring disk cache, which is implemented as a DG node and gets updated during a file save.
Always
Creates a copy of the jiggle disk cache file when the scene is saved for the first time or saved to a new name. The cache file name corresponds with the scene file name. This is the default. Does not save a copy of the jiggle disk cache file. Use this option to prevent the copy from being created and save disk space.
Never
In the New Project and Edit Project windows, weve added a Disk Cache option to the list of Data Transfer Locations (File > Project > New, File > Project > Edit Current). This allows you to set the default directory in which to store the jiggle deformers disk cache files.
Note In both the New Project and Edit Project windows, there is a Disk Cache option in the list of Data Transfer Locations (File > Project > New, File > Project > Edit Current). This allows you to set the default directory in which to store the jiggle deformers disk cache files.
Use Verbose Names
Displays the full names of node attributes. For more information about using full names see, "Setting Open options" on page 162. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 167

Optimizing scene size
Tips for reducing file size

When you save a new scene file, Maya saves the user interface information in the scene by default. The user interface file includes information about the interface like the current panel(s) and layout. To decrease the size of files you create, you can turn the default setting off so these user interface files are not created. To turn user interface file creation off: 1 2 3 Choose Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences and select the Misc category. Turn off the Save Panel Layouts with File check box in the Panel Configurations section. Click Save to preserve your changes.
OPTIMIZING SCENE SIZE

You can optimize the size of your scene by removing the following: invalid NURBS surfaces and curves empty sets, partitions, and transforms unused animation and NURBS curves, cached data, deformers, expressions, group ID, rendering, snapshot, and unit conversion nodes, locators, point constraints, and referenced items We recommend that you make a habit of optimizing scene size before you save. Optimizing your scene size before saving can: improve the overall performance of Maya (the improvement can be significant) improve Mayas use of memory reduce unnecessary waste of disk space To optimize scene size: 1 2 3 Select File > Optimize Scene Size . The Optimize Scene Size Options window opens. Select the items you want removed from the scene. To optimize the scene using these settings, click Optimize and then OK.
Note Your settings are saved so that when you select File > Optimize Scene Size, the saved settings are used.

Managing projects
MANAGING PROJECTS
A project is a collection of one or more scene files. A project also includes files related to the scene, such as texture files for rendering or geometry files for modeling. It specifies the directories for the scene data and the search paths to use when referencing files. For example, if you were working on a project called Randy_the_Robot, you could create a directory called robot to hold all the files related to that project, including scene, sound, rendering, and animation. Placing all the files in one directory makes it easier to manage the project, including referencing the files. When you start Maya for the first time, it creates a default directory called default. This directory contains default settings for all the subdirectories under default.
Default projects directory
Typically, these subdirectories contain information on all files associated with a specific project. For example, the sound subdirectory contains all sound files used by a scene. For more information on setting up projects, see "Creating projects" on page 171.

Managing projects
Where Maya stores scene information

Maya stores scene information in three locations according to the type of information:
Scene File Locations Stores scene files. Project File Locations Stores files such as textures, lights, images, source images,
.mel files, and rendering scenes.

Data Transfer Locations Stores files that are in other formats such as .dxf, .obj, and
plug-ins.
Using absolute and relative paths

You can specify either an absolute or relative path to a particular directory.
What is an absolute path?

An absolute path starts at the root of a file system and works down the directory tree to the requested file. If you move a scene to a new directory, any absolute paths you created become unusable. You must correct the paths before Maya can read the scene again. Note that Maya also supports UNC paths, if your network supports them.
Tip Absolute paths must always start with a drive letter (Windows) or slash (UNIX). For example, C:\username\maya\projects\Storm\wind.
What is a relative path?

Relative paths point to a directory by describing its relationship to the current scene. For example, if you want to access all files in project Storm, under directory hurricane, then type hurricane\Storm. If you change the name of the project directory, then all you have to do is change the name of the directory. You do not have to change the entire path to the associated project files. Example of a relative path Here is an example of a relative path that goes up two levels to the projects directory, then down one directory to project hurricane\Storm.
..\..\projects\hurricane\Storm\Wind
Tip Normally, you should use a relative path. Special situations require an absolute pathfor example, if you want to place all lights for all projects in the same directory.

Managing projects
Multiple project directory paths

If you have multiple locations for project files, including directories outside your project area, you can list them all in the New Project or Edit Project window. Separate the directories using a colon (UNIX) or semi-colon (Windows). For example, you may have a local sourceimages directory and one that is shared on the network, as shown in the following illustration.
Multiple directories (Windows example)
You can mix relative and absolute paths, as the above example illustrates. The entry sourceimages is relative to the project directory, while g:\sharedimages is absolute. Make sure to start absolute paths with either a slash (UNIX) or drive letter (Windows).
Creating projects
You can structure a project file to suit the requirements of a particular project. To create a new project: 1 Select File > Project > New. The New Project window opens.
~This will change. User interface field is going away
2 3
Enter the name of the new project in the Name text box. In the Location text box, enter or browse to the directory that will contain the new project.

Managing projects 4 You can click Use Defaults to let Maya assign the default names for the following location. or You can set the locations by typing them in and then click Accept.
Scenes
Specifies the directory used to save scene files. This directory normally contains only geometry information, unless you instruct Maya to put all of the information on the file into this subdirectory. You can also use this text box to enter search criteria for scene information. For more information, see "Multiple project directory paths" on page 171. Specifies the directories for files containing project textures, lights, source images, images, and render scenes. These locations specify the paths to the directories containing files in formats that may require conversion.
Project Data Locations Data Transfer Locations
Note The location directories can be expanded using plug-ins. Each time you add a plug-in, the New Project window displays the addition. You can then specify the path to the plug-ins directory. For more information, see "Using plug-ins for exporting" on page 188.
Note If you leave a text box blank, Maya does not create a subdirectory. If you create a scene using an unspecified project setting, Maya saves the information in the project location directory.
Specifying the current project

Use Set Project to specify the current project. To specify a current project: 1 2 3 Select File > Project > Set. A file browser opens. Select a project. Maya changes the path to the new project. Click OK.
Editing the current project

If any file location information has changed, use Edit Current to update the directories. For example, you may have relocated your sound files to a new directory and want to make sure that Maya is able to find them.
Note You cannot change the name or location of the project file.

Mapping missing directories To edit a project: 1 2 3 Select File > Project > Edit Current. The Edit Project window opens. Click a triangle button to expand a section of directories related to the Scene, Project, or Data Transfer file locations. Make changes and then click Accept. Maya updates the information on the project file.
MAPPING MISSING DIRECTORIES

The dirmap command lets you map a missing directory to a different non-missing directory. This is most useful when you are moving scenes from UNIX to Windows.
Mapping from UNIX to Windows

You can use the dirmap command to map your UNIX directory to your Windows directory. For example, if you enter the following commands:
dirmap -enable true; dirmap -m "/home/user/maya" "C:/aw/maya/user"
These commands enable dirmap and add a mapping from /home/user/maya to C:/aw/ maya/user. Now, if you try to open the file on Windows:
file -open /home/user/maya/projects/default/scenes/scene1.ma";
Maya is not able to find the directory so it uses the dirmap data and tries again using:
file -open "C:/aw/maya/user/projects/default/scenes/scene1.ma";
Mapping from UNIX to UNIX

You can also use the dirmap command to map UNIX directories to other UNIX directories. For example, suppose you are running out of disk space and add a new disk, you can map your old directories to you new ones:
dirmap -enable true dirmap -m "/home/user/maya/projects" "/bigdisk/maya/projects";
Note This works only if the original directory is missing. If the directory is there but the file is missing, you will get a normal file not found error. See the dirmap command in the online MEL command documentation for more information.

Supported file formats
SUPPORTED FILE FORMATS

You can open and import the following file formats:
File extension .ma .mb
Filename Maya ASCII Maya Binary
Description Native ASCII file format. Native binary file format. This is the default file format. Maya Embedded Language, the scripting language used by Maya. Exchanges geometric and drawing information between microCAD systems. Geometry files. Can be imported only. Note that blobs, shaders, and groups are not converted ASCII files that define geometry and other object properties. Standard for exchanging geometric information. RIB input/output of geometry. Wire files. Audio files for sampling in mono or stereo.
Program used by Maya Maya
Platform UNIX & Windows UNIX & Windows UNIX & Windows
.mel
MEL
Maya
.dxf
Drawing Exchange File
Auto CAD
UNIX & Windows
.geo
ExploreGeo
Explore
UNIX only
.obj
object file
Advanced Visualizer
UNIX & Windows
.iges
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification RIB aliasWire audio files such as WAVE and aiff
CAD systems
UNIX & Windows
.rib .wire audio (various extensions)
Renderman PowerAnimator Various
UNIX & Windows UNIX & Windows UNIX & Windows

Importing files
File extension image (various extensions)
Filename Alias, BMP, CINEON, EPS, IFF, GIF, JPEG, Maya, RGB, RLA, SGI&nbsp, SoftImage, 24or 32-bit Targa, TIFF, and XPM AVI
Description Image files for textures or image planes.
Program used by Various
Platform UNIX & Windows
.avi
Video for Windows Microsoft
Various
Windows only Note that this is the only movie file type supported on Windows.
.mov
move
An ASCII file that stores the channel data (such as x translate, y translate, and z translate) from a PreView scene file.
PreView
UNIX & Windows
IMPORTING FILES
Maya has built-in translators that let you import into Maya scenes and files created in other applications. See "Supported file formats" on page 174 to see the types of files you can import. There are two ways to import a file: You can copy the imported file into the current scene using File > Import. See "Importing files by copying" on page 176 for details. You can import the file by reference using File > Create Reference. When you import by reference, Maya makes a link to the file rather than copying it. See "Importing files by reference" on page 180 for details.
Using default nodes

Default nodes are built-in nodes that always exist in Maya. These nodes represent global elements, such as camera positions, shader colors, and current time frames. When you import a file into an active scene, Maya uses the default nodes for the active scene. For example, if you changed a scenes default shader color to red, this change would be saved. However, if you imported this scene into another scene, Maya would ignore the changed shader color and use the current default shader color instead. This is to prevent default nodes from suddenly changing. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 175

Importing files Since default nodes are always present in Maya, you dont need to create them when you open a file. Only changes made to the defaults are saved. For more information on default nodes, see Using Maya: Expressions.
Importing files by copying

Importing by copying makes it easier to transfer imported material from one scene to another. However, copying increases the file size. It also means that you must delete the imported objects and import the source scene again, if you change it. To import by copying: 1 2 3 Select File > Import. Navigate to the file you want to import. Double-click the name of the file you want to import. Maya copies the contents of the specified file into the current scene.
Setting import options

Import options are values you specify, that take effect whenever you import a file into a scene. You can override the import options for a specific session. To set import options: 1 2
Group
Select File > Import . The Import Options window opens. You can set the following options and then click Import to import a file. Specifies whether the imported objects are grouped under a single transform when you import the file. Grouping makes it easier to work on the nodes of imported objects. The default is off. When you import or reference a scene with the Use Namespaces option turned on, Maya creates a new namespace that contains the imported or referenced data. Turning on the Use Namespaces option ensures that all nodes are uniquely named. A namespace is a grouping of objects under a given name. Each item in a namespace is identified by its own name along with the namespace it belongs to. By default, the basename of the imported or referenced file is added to the beginning of the imported or referenced object names, separated by colons. For example, if you are importing a scene named foo.ma that contains an object named ball, after its imported the ball is named foo:ball. You can change the prefix by selecting Resolve clashing nodes with this string and entering a prefix. You can create, name, parent, and remove namespaces using the namespace command. See the online documentation for MEL Command Reference information on the namespace command. (Help > MEL Command Reference) Namespaces do not effect selection, the DAG, the Dependency Graph, or any other aspect of Maya.
Use Namespaces
Resolve Name Clashes with
When you import a scene into another scene, naming conflicts occur if the nodes share the same name and parent nodes. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 176

Importing files To resolve these naming conflicts, you can rename only nodes with the same name and parents (clashing nodes) or you can rename all nodes. You specify whether to use the filename as the prefix (the default) or to create a prefix string. For more information on node hierarchy, see Using Maya: Expressions.
Tip We recommend you use namespaces to resolve naming conflicts instead of using the Name clash options when importing or referencing files.
File Type
Choose from the pull-down menu the file type you will be importing . If you arent sure what type of file you will be importing, you can select Best Guess. Depending on the file type you select, various file type specific options may be displayed, see "Setting Open options" on page 162 for information on these options.
Importing move files

When you import move files, you must list the attributes to import or export in the text list in the move file option box. The move file format is just a list of numbers. No information on how those numbers should be used is included in the move file. Instead, each row is assumed to be a frame of data, and each column represents a single channel of data. This is the same move file format used by the Wavefront PreView program, with the addition that comment characters (# or // ) at the beginning of a line are allowed. Since time data is not stored with the file, when exporting a move file, the attributes value is written at each frame. The units of the file are your current units in Maya. When importing a move file, the current time of the scene is used as the starting point of the import. For both the import and export functions, all node naming clash and group options are ignored. To import a move file: 1 2 Select File > Import . The Import Options window opens. Select move from the File Type pull-down menu.
The following file type specific options apply to importing move files: USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 177

Importing files
Attributes
Type the name of an attribute in the Attributes box and click Add to add the attribute to the list of attributes to use when importing or exporting. If the attribute is already included in the list, a duplicate is not made. You can add several attributes at one time by separating them with a space. To remove an attribute, type the name of the attribute and click Remove. Click From Channel Box to combine all of the selected objects in Maya, in the order of their selection, with the channels selected in the Channel Box and place them in the list. For example, if sphere and cone are selected, and tx, sx are selected in the Channel Box, sphere.tx sphere.sx cone.tx and cone.sx are added to the list of attribute to import and export. Click Remove Selected to remove all of the attributes selected in the list. Click Remove All to remove all of the attributes from the list. This is ignored in file export. For file import, this sets the precision of the file. When you click import or export, the move file is written or read and only the attributes in the list are affected.
From Channel Box
Remove Selected Remove All Precision
Importing Adobe Illustrator and EPS files

You can import Illustrator and encapsulated postscript (EPS) files into Maya. With this feature, you can create 3D models based on 2D graphics, such as text or logos. Maya imports them as NURBS curves, which you can then group into surfaces, convert to polygons, and so forth. Support for Illustrator files extends from version 4 up to version 8. Any versions before 4 or after 8 are not necessarily supported. How curves are converted The curves from Illustrator and EPS files are actually Bezier curve segments. During import, Maya attaches the segments into a single curve. The Curve Degree is set to 3 (cubic) and the Knot Spacing is set to Multiple End Knots. To import an Illustrator or EPS file: 1 2 3 Choose File > Import. In the file browser, navigate to the Illustrator or EPS file. If needed, click the Options button (Windows) or choose Options > Options (UNIX) to set the following controls.
Scale Factor Group
Allows you to control the scale of the curves produced from the import. It is the same operation as using the Scale Tool. Turn on this option to group the imported curves. It is the same operation as using the Edit > Group option.
Click Import.

Importing files
Importing animation curves

You can import animation curves from an anim file. To do this, you must first select the objects you want to connect to the animation curves. If nothing is selected the anim import will fail. Maya imports the animation curve into the API clipboard and pastes it into the file. To import animation curves from an anim file: 1 2 3 4 5 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to verify that the animImportExport plug-in is loaded. Open the file into which you want to import the animation curve. Select the object which you want to connect to the animation curves. Select File > Import. Select animImport from the Read As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select animImport from the Files of type pull-down menu (Windows). 6 7 Navigate to the file you want to import. Double-click the name of the file you want to import. Maya copies the contents of the specified file into the current scene. To set anim import options: 1 2 3
Time Range
Select File > Import . The Import Options window opens. Select animImport from the File Type pull-down menu. Set the following options specific to animImport files and then click Import. Select a time range option and specify the appropriate settings.
Start Start/End
Imports the animation information to the selected objects so that the animation starts at the time specified in the Start Time field. Imports the animation information to the selected object or objects, scaling the animation to fit into the time range as specified in the Start Time and End Time fields. Animation information from the keys clipboard is either scaled or clipped depending on the setting of the Clipboard Adjustment option. Imports the animation information to the selected objects so that the animation starts at the current time as displayed in the Animation Controls. Transfers the animation information to the selected object(s), preserving the duration and timing of the animation information on the keys clipboard. The value specifies the number of copies of the anim curves that will be imported. Multiple copies are appended sequentially.
Current
Clipboard
Copies Help Images
Turn on Help Images to display illustrations of the effects of the various anim import options.

Importing files
Clipboard Adjustment
Specify an option for how to handle the Clipboard contents.

Preserve Scale
Pastes the contents of the clipboard into their new positions on the curve without any changes. Becomes enabled when Start/End is selected. The complete contents of the clipboard curves are stretched or compressed to fit into the specified import Time Range. Becomes enabled when Start/End is selected. The contents of the clipboard are preserved (that is, not stretched or compressed) and as much as will fit into the specified time range is pasted into the new area. Places the clipboard contents before any existing keys in the specified time range. The keys from the original curve that were after the specified time range are shifted in time by the pasted range times. Becomes enabled when Start/End or Clipboard is selected. The clipboard contents overwrite any existing keys in the specified time range. The clipboard contents are added to any existing keys on the curve. In the case where a clipboard key is at the same time as an existing key, the clipboards key replaces the existing key. Replace keys and curve segment information in the specified time range with the contents of the keys clipboard. Is available only when the Time Range setting is Clipboard. The Entire Curve setting replaces the animation curve(s) on the imported attributes with the contents of the keys clipboard, in effect deleting any existing animation curves on these attributes and applying the new curves from the keys clipboard.
Fit
Paste Method
Specify a paste method.

Insert
Replace
Merge
Replace Region
These buttons are enabled when Paste Method is set to Replace.

Time Range Entire Curve
Connect
When turned on, adjusts the keys clipboard curves in value, so theres no discontinuity in the animation at the start of the pasted segment.
Importing files by reference

When you import a scene by reference, Maya makes a link from the current scene to the source scene. This link points to the latest saved version of the scene. You cannot rename, delete, or ungroup objects from a referenced file. You can develop the referenced file while you use it in other scenes. For example, say you had three scenes in an animation that all used the same props. In one scene, the chair is beside the table. In the second, the chair is on top of the table. In the third, the chair is on the floor. If you imported the files by reference, three animators could use the same props, saving file space and sharing changes made to the surface characteristics and shading of the objects.

Importing files
Note Node names from referenced files appear red in the Hypergraph. In contrast, node names from non-referenced files appear black. To specify a referenced file: 1 2 Select File > Create Reference. In the file browser, navigate to the file to reference and click Reference. You can also use this window to reference files on other systems (including UNIX) on your network. Maya loads the selected scene into the scene you are working on.
Tip Turn on the Use Namespaces option if you referenced expressions that include statements in MEL command format that include object names. Statements in conventional expression format work whether or not you include object names. The Expression Editor resolves name changes.
Setting Reference options

You can specify file reference options. Maya uses these options the next time you import by reference. You can change the options as you work to override existing import by reference options for only the current session. To set reference options: 1 2 Select File > Create Reference . The Reference Options window opens. Set the options. See "Setting import options" on page 176 for information on setting Group, Namespaces, Name clash, and File Type options.
Using the Reference Editor

You use the Reference Editor to specify settings for importing files by reference. You can: Create Reference (see "Importing files by reference" on page 180). Import Reference (see "Importing a referenced scene" on page 182). Export Selection As Reference (see "Exporting a selection as a reference" on page 182). Remove Reference (see "Removing a reference from a scene" on page 183). Select Reference Contents (see "Selecting the contents of a referenced scene" on page 183). Load Reference/Unload Reference (see "Loading and unloading reference files" on page 183. Replace Reference (see "Replacing reference files" on page 184). Clean up References (see "Cleaning up references" on page 184).

Importing files To use the Reference Editor: 1 Select File > Reference Editor. The Reference Editor opens.
Select a referenced file. When you select a referenced file using the Reference Editor, Maya displays information about the file, called File Particulars. File Particulars
Name Type Status Load Sub-type I/O Rename Prefix
Displays the name of the file. Displays the file format. Indicates if the file has been changed in some way. Indicates is the referenced file is loaded or unloaded. See "Loading and unloading reference files" on page 183. Displays the sub-type of file. Indicates if the file can be changed. Referenced files are always Read Only, while files you create yourself are always Writable. Displays a prefix that can be applied to object names in the event of name clashes or namespaces.
Importing a referenced scene

You can import a scene that used to be referenced. This breaks the reference connection. To import a referenced file: 1 2 3 Select File > Reference Editor. Click the arrow next to the scene name and select the referenced file to be imported. Select File > Import Reference.
Exporting a selection as a reference

This lets you export parts of the scene you are working on as a referenced file. Exporting a referenced file is similar to File > Export Selection. However, when exporting selections as a referenced file, the selections in the Maya window exist USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 182

Importing files only as referenced objects. If you make changes to the new referenced file, the objects in the existing scene change. For more information on exporting selections, see "Exporting files" on page 185. To export a referenced file: 1 2 3 4 Select objects in the scene file. Select File > Reference Editor. Select File > Export Selection as Reference. Type the name of the referenced file, choose a file type from the Write As pull-down menu, then click Export Reference.
Removing a reference from a scene

You can remove a referenced file from a scene if you do not need it anymore. When you delete the referenced file, referenced objects disappear and all connections are broken permanently. If you want to remove a reference and keep the connections intact, see "Loading and unloading reference files" on page 183. To remove a referenced file: 1 2 3 4 Select File > Reference Editor. Select a referenced file. Select Edit > Remove Reference. Maya displays a message warning you that this action cannot be undone. Click Remove to remove the referenced file.
Selecting the contents of a referenced scene

You can select objects in your scene that come from a referenced file. This lets you identify which objects exist in a referenced file without having to open the source file. To select objects from a referenced file: 1 2 3 Select File > Reference Editor. Select a referenced file. Select Edit > Select Reference Contents. The objects from the referenced file are selected and displayed in a different color.
Loading and unloading reference files

In a scene that contains reference files, you can unload a reference file if it is not needed while you are working on a different part of the scene. This improves the interactive performance of Maya. You load it back in when you are ready for that part of the scene. To unload a reference file: 1 2 3 Select File > Reference Editor. In the Reference Editor, expand the scene name to display the reference files. Highlight the reference file you want to unload.

Importing files 4 Select Reference > Unload Reference. The reference file no longer appears in the scene. To load a reference file: 1 2 3 4 Select File > Reference Editor. In the Reference Editor, expand the scene name to display the reference files. Highlight the reference file you want to load. Select Reference > Load Reference. The reference file appears in the scene.
Replacing reference files

You can replace a reference file with another reference file. This is useful for substituting high and low resolution geometry. To replace a reference file: 1 2 3 4 5 Select File > Reference Editor. In the Reference Editor, expand the scene name to display the reference files. Highlight the reference file you want to replace. Select Reference > Replace Reference. Navigate to the replacement file and click Reference. The reference file is replaced. All connections are maintained.
Cleaning up references
When you use reference files, Maya records any changes to the reference file. If you load, unload, or replace reference files, these changes may or may not be used. When you clean up references, you remove any recorded changes that arent being used. For example, if you replace a high-resolution reference file with a low-resolution, Maya records the connections, dynamic attributes, changed values, and disconnected attributes, which may not apply to the low-resolution version. When you substitute the high-resolution version again, the connections and values are restored. However, if you dont substitute the high-resolution version, or you modify the high-resolution version before you substitute it, the scene may have dangling connections and unused values. When you clean up references, you eliminates this. You should clean up reference when you are done swapping reference files. To clean up references: 1 2 Select File > Reference Editor. Select File > Clean Up Reference.

Exporting files
EXPORTING FILES
You export files when you want to copy all of a scenes contents (including referenced files) into a single file. Export also lets you convert a file into formats other than Maya ASCII and Maya Binary. Export copies all of a scenes contents into another file, regardless of how the scene is divided into segments and references. In essence, Export collapses the entire scene into one file. This is essential when you want to save the scenes contents to another file type, such as an IGES file, which doesnt support Maya references. You can export scenes in several file formats depending on which export plug-ins you have installed. For more information on export plug-ins, see "Using plug-ins for exporting" on page 188.
Note If you export selected objects to an existing scene, it will overwrite the contents of the target file. If you want to add the contents of a scene to another scene, you must use File > Import. For more information, see "Importing files by copying" on page 176. When you export the contents of a scene, the entire contents of the scene, including referenced files, are written to a single file. To export the contents of a scene: 1 2 Select File > Export All. Specify the name and file type you want to export the information to. If Maya detects an existing file with the same name, it will ask if you want to overwrite the existing file. The options for exporting are the same as those you use to save a file, except more export file types are available through plug-ins.
Note New export file formats may be added through plug-ins. For more information, see "Using plug-ins for exporting" on page 188.
Setting export options

You can set the default file format for exporting by selecting File > Export All . For Maya ASCII and Maya Binary formats, the Export All options are the same as the Save Scene As options (see "Setting save options" on page 166). File formats you export to using plug-ins have different options (see "Using plug-ins for exporting" on page 188.

Exporting files
Exporting scene elements

You may want to export certain elements of a scene, for example, expressions. You can specify the scene elements that are included in the export data. To export specific elements of a file: 1 2 Select File > Export Selection . The Export Selection Options window opens. Set the following export preferences:
File Type Sets the File Type to mayaBinary or mayaAscii. The default is
mayaBinary.
Note For information about move files, see "Exporting move files" on page 187.
Default File Extensions Adds the file extension .ma to Maya ASCII filenames and .mb to Maya Binary filenames. Keep Only a Reference Turn on to keep a reference to the file and move all of the
selected nodes out of the current scene. You must first select the objects in the scene.
Use Namespaces When you reference a scene with the Use Namespaces option
turned on, Maya creates a new namespace that contains the referenced data. Turning on the Use Namespaces option ensures that all nodes are uniquely named. For more information on Namespaces, see "Setting import options" on page 176)
Prefix with Select the file name to use the filename as the namespace. Select this
string and enter a name to be used for the namespace.

Include These Inputs Turn on to include or off to exclude any of the following
inputs:
History Includes or excludes construction history of the selected nodes. See "Using
construction history" on page 154 for more information.

Channels Includes or extrudes attribute values. See Using Maya: Animation for more information on attribute values. Expressions Includes or excludes expressions. See Using Maya: Expressions for more information on expressions. Constraints Includes or excludes constraints. See Using Maya: Animation for more
information on constraints.
Include Texture Info Turn on to export rendering information. The default is off. Use Verbose Names Specifies whether you want to use long flag names for MEL
commands and full attribute names in the ASCII text.

Exporting files
Exporting move files

When you import move files, you must list the attributes to import or export in the text list in the move file option box. The move file format is just list of numbers. No information on how those numbers should be used is included in the move file. Instead, each row is assumed to be a frame of data, and each column represents a single channel of data. This is the same move file format used by the Wavefront PreView program, with the addition that comment characters (# or // ) at the beginning of a line are allowed. Since time data is not stored with the file, when exporting a move file, the attributes value is written at each frame. The units of the file are your current units in Maya. When importing a move file, the current time of the scene is used as the starting point of the import. For both the import and export functions, all node naming clash and group options are ignored. To export a move file: 1 2 Select File > Export Selection . The Export Selection Options window opens. Select move from the File Type pull-down menu. The Export Selection Options window extends to display File Type Specific Options. The following file type specific options apply to importing move files:
Attributes
Type the name of an attribute in the Attributes box and click Add to add the attribute to the list of attributes to use when importing or exporting. If the attribute is already included in the list, a duplicate is not made. To remove an attribute, type the name of the attribute and click Remove. You can add several attributes at one time by separating them with a space. Click From Channel Box to combine all of the selected objects in Maya, in the order of their selection, with the channels selected in the Channel Box and place them in the list. For example, if sphere and cone are selected, and tx, sx are selected in the Channel Box, sphere.tx, sphere.sx, cone.tx, and cone.sx are added to the list of attribute to import and export. Click Remove Selected to remove all of the attributes selected in the list. Click Remove All to remove all of the attributes from the list. This is ignored in file export. For file import, this sets the precision of the file. When you click import or export, the move file is written or read and only the attributes in the list are affected.
From Channel Box
Remove Selected Remove All Precision

Using plug-ins for exporting
USING PLUG-INS FOR EXPORTING

Maya plug-ins provide translators for exporting to various file formats. For more information about file conversions and file formats in general, see the online documentation Maya File Formats and Translators.
Note Maya plug-ins are typically designed to work on a specific operating system. Before you can use a plug-in, you must load it into Maya using a MEL command or the Plug-in Manager. To load a plug-in: 1 2 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager. Locate the plug-in and click the loaded button. After the plug-in loads, click the i button to get information on the plug-in.
Exporting to Wavefront (OBJ)

The objExport plug-in lets you export Maya polygon data to the Wavefront OBJ ASCII file format. It converts: Maya texture coordinate and vertex normal information. Maya renderable set information into material names. Maya component set information into groups. To export a file in OBJ format: 1 2 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to verify that the objExport plug-in is loaded. Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection. Select OBJExport from the Write As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select OBJExport from the Files of Type pull-down menu (Windows).
Note The objExport plug-in does not export OBJ formatted curves, surfaces, smoothing groups, or point group materials. It also does not support NURBS. Use the MayaToIgesDxf plug-in for scenes that contain NURBS surfaces.

Using plug-ins for exporting To set OBJ export options: 1 2 Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection . The corresponding Export Options window opens. Select OBJexport from the File Type pull-down menu.
3 4
Click to turn on or off exportation of Groups, Point groups, Materials, Smoothing, and Normals. Click Export All or Export Selection.
Exporting to IGES, DXF, and Alias Wire

The MayaToAlias plug-in lets you export Maya scene information to an IGES, DXF, or Alias Wire file. To export a file in IGES, DXF, or Alias Wire format: 1 2 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to verify that the plug-in is loaded. Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection. Select IGESexport, DXFexport, or aliasWireExport from the Write As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select IGESexport, DXFexport, or aliasWireExport from the Files of Type pull-down menu (Windows).
Note When exporting to Alias Wire files, we write version 8.1 files for UNIX and version 9.5 files for Windows.

Exporting to RenderMan
The ribExport plug-in lets you export scenes created in Maya to the RIB (RenderMan) format. The plug-in exports NURBS and polygonal geometry. All types of animation in Maya are supported, including keys, expressions, path, deformations, and motion blur. The ribExport plug-in supports ambient, directional, point, and spot lights. It does not support plug-in lights. Simple non-textured shaders are supported, although only the shader color is exported; all other shading attributes are ignored. Phong and Blinn shaders are exported as plastic and Lambert shaders are exported as matte. Per-face shading groups are not supported; only shading groups that are assigned to objects or object instances are exported. Plug-in shaders and textures are not supported. When exporting Maya scenes into RIB, note that the # character is a special formatting character in RenderMan image names (See the RenderMan user manual for information on its formatting capabilities). If you want to include a real # character in a RenderMan image name, you must use ##. The image name constructed by the ribExport plug-in includes the contents of the imageName attribute of the renderable cameras. If you want to include the special RenderMan formatting characters in an image, the imageName attribute is the place those characters should be placed in quotes.
Note When you create a camera in PowerAnimator, it is automatically given a name that ends with the # character and a number. When the AliasToMaya translator converts these cameras into Maya cameras, the # is kept in the imageName attribute. If you want to render these scenes with RenderMan, the cameras will need to be edited, and the # characters in the imageName attributes replaced with ##. To export a file to RenderMan format: 1 2 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to verify that the ribExport plug-in is loaded. Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection. Select RIBexport from the Write As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select RIBexport from the Files of Type pull-down menu (Windows). To set RenderMan export options: 1 2 Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection . The corresponding Export Options window opens. Select RIBexport from the File Type pull-down menu. The window extends to display File Type Specific Options.

Using plug-ins for exporting 3 You can set the following options.
Default File Extensions Specifies whether the .rib extension will be appended to the specified file name. The .rib extension is not added if the specified filename already contains that extension. Single File Output If set to No, each frame is written to a single file. If set to Yes, all
frames are written to one file. The default is Yes.

Extension Padding If the Single File Output option is set to No, then this option
specifies whether the RIB file extensions will be padded with 0s.
Geometry Motion Blur Specifies whether geometry motion blur information is
written to the RIB file.

Pixel Samples Specifies the number of samples taken for each pixel. This value will
be used for both the X and Y directions. The default is 3.
Exporting animation curves

You can export animation curves to an anim file. To do this, you must first select the objects connected to the animation curves. If nothing is selected the anim export will fail. Maya copies the anim curve into the API clipboard and pastes it into the new file. To export animation curves to an anim file: 1 2 3 4 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to verify that the animImportExport plug-in is loaded. Select the object whose animation curve you want to export. Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection. Select animExport from the Write As pull-down menu (UNIX). or Select animExport from the Files of Type pull-down menu (Windows). To set anim export options: 1 2 Select File > Export All or File > Export Selection . The corresponding Export Options window opens. Select animExport from the File Type pull-down menu. The window extends to display File Type Specific Options.

Using plug-ins for exporting 3
Precision
You can set the following options. Sets the precision of the numbers stored in the file. The choices are:
Float Eight digits of precision Double Seventeen digits of precision Custom A setting between 1 and 18.
File Contents
Use Node and Leaf Attribute Names When the Use Node and Leaf Attribute checkbox is selected, the node and leaf attribute names in the clipboard are written to the file.
When the checkbox is not selected, only the full attribute name is written to the file.
Verbose Units When the Verbose Units checkbox is selected, long unit names are
used in the file, otherwise short unit names are used.

Hierarchy
The Hierarchy setting provides control over which nodes will be copied within a hierarchy.
Selected Only the selected objects animation copies to the keys clipboard. Below Copies the animation of the selected object and all objects below it to the
clipboard.
Channels
This setting is available when you want to copy only attributes selected in the Channel Box.
All Keyable All keyable channels of the selected objects animation are copied to the
clipboard.
From Channel Box Only those channels selected in the Channel Box are copied to
the clipboard.
Control Points
This option enables or disables the copy action for all the CVs, polygon vertices, and lattice points associated with a geometry shape (or transform node hierarchically above the geometry shape). Normally, when a control point is copied, only the selected control point is copied. The Control Points option enables the copying for all the control points associated with an object. This is useful when you are doing control point-intensive animation and dont want to select each control point to copy the animation.
Shapes
This option determines if the animation of a shape attribute of an object as well as the animation of the associated transform attribute are copied, or if only the transform nodes animation is copied. Generally, when an object is selected in a modeling window, the transform node (above the shape hierarchically) is selected. For example, if a camera, NURBS object, or light is selected, the associated transform node is selected for copying.
Time Range
All Copies all the animation information of the selected object or objects to the keys
clipboard.
Start/End copies only the animation information in the range specified in the Start
Time and End Time fields of the selected object or objects to the keys clipboard.
Help Images
When checked, this option displays a diagram of the copy action, and in particular represents graphically the two methods of copying animation information.

Method Keys Copies only keys within the selected range to the keys clipboard. Segments Copies animation curve segments and any keys in the selected range to
the keys clipboard.
Note The Segments method of copying keys will create keys for the copied animation segment at the start and end times in order to preserve the shape of the animation curve, if keys do not already exist at those points.

SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

This chapter describes how to set environment variables using the Maya.env file and lists standard Maya environment variables that you may want to modify.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

Environment variables are a useful way to modify the standard path locations and behavior used by Maya. Typical examples include: Setting MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH to point to a directory where you keep custom scripts. Setting TEMPDIR to point to an area with more disk space so that you have enough room for temporary render cache files. Setting MAYA_DISABLE_BACKSPACE_DELETE if you prefer that the backspace key does not perform deletion. Many of the variables used by Maya are set automatically when you start Maya. To configure Maya further, you can set additional environment variables. There are two places you can set environment variables: in the Maya.env file and in the operating system (through the UNIX command line, UNIX .cshrc file, or NT registry). Using the Maya.env file is the recommended method and is the subject of this chapter. The variables set in the operating system (through the UNIX command line, UNIX .cshrc file, or NT registry) take priority over the settings in the Maya.env file. However, when Maya verifies the environment settings, it may add default settings.
CREATING THE MAYA.ENV FILE

While you can set environment variables in the operating system (such as the UNIX .cshrc file or NT registry), you should use the Maya.env file in most cases so you dont clutter the standard environment settings. Another advantage of using Maya.env occurs when you are performing distributed rendering among several Windows machines. In this case, you can set up Maya.env as a roaming profile to be shared by all the machines. See your networking documentation for details on setting up roaming profiles. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 195
SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES | 8

Creating the Maya.env file To create Maya.env: 1 Create Maya.env in a text editor (such as jot or Notepad). For UNIX, make sure to use capital M for Maya.env. 2 Set each variable on a single line in the following form:
NAME = VALUE
where NAME is the name of the environment variable, and VALUE is its value. For other formatting rules, see "Rules for Maya.env" on page 196. 3 Save the file to one of the following locations.
UNIX
~/maya/version
Windows drive:\WinNT\Profiles\UserName\maya\version or drive:\WinNT\Profiles\UserName\maya
or
~/maya
Note These directory locations are the default. You can use a different directory if you specify it in the MAYA_APP_DIR environment variable, which must be set outside of Maya and the Maya.env file. See "Standard Maya environment variables" on page 199.
Rules for Maya.env

You can set any variable, including ones that you define yourself. The only variables you cannot set in Maya.env are MAYA_APP_DIR and either HOME (for UNIX) or USERPROFILE (for NT). For directory paths, use backslash (\) for NT and forward slash (/) for UNIX. To separate several paths, use semicolon (;) for NT and colon (:) for UNIX. You can include blank lines or lines that begin with # (comment character). Extra spaces around the NAME and VALUE are ignored. You can use variable substitution by typing either $variable (UNIX) or %variable% (NT). For example:
MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH = $MAYA_APP_DIR/scripts/test (UNIX) MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH = %MAYA_APP_DIR%\scripts\test (NT)
This example uses $MAYA_APP_DIR, one of Mayas standard environment variables. You can also use variables that you define yourself, either in the Maya.env file or in the operating system. If you define your own variable, make sure it does not contain these characters: Space Tab / : * " < > |

Creating the Maya.env file
Note Although we recommend using different formatting for NT and UNIX (such as \ and ; for NT, and / and : for UNIX), Maya does recognize both formatting styles no matter what platform you use. Its still best to keep a platform-specific format to avoid possible errors. UNIX example: The following example shows how you can define your own variable (SHARED_MAYA_DIR) and use it to set the value of other Maya variables.
SHARED_MAYA_DIR = HostName:/usr/localhome/public/maya/4.0 MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH = $SHARED_MAYA_DIR/scripts:$MAYA_APP_DIR/scripts/custom MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH = $SHARED_MAYA_DIR/plug-ins TMPDIR = /disk2/tempspace
Windows example: This example is the same as UNIX, but with NT-specific formatting.
MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH = %MAYA_APP_DIR%\scripts\test MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH = %MAYA_LOCATION%\devkit\plug-ins;%MAYA_LOCATION%\devkit\test TMPDIR = D:\tempspace
Where Maya looks for Maya.env

Maya looks for the Maya.env file in MAYA_APP_DIR/version or MAYA_APP_DIR, which is an environment variable you may optionally set outside of Maya and the Maya.env file. If you did not explicitly set MAYA_APP_DIR, the following directories are used:
UNIX
~/maya/version
Windows drive:\WinNT\Profiles\UserName\maya\version or drive:\WinNT\Profiles\UserName\maya
or
~/maya

Modifying standard paths
MODIFYING STANDARD PATHS

When Maya builds all the environment variable settings into its memory, it makes some verifications and adjustments. For several path environment variables, Maya adds a string of standard paths to the end of the variable setting. The standard paths contain items Maya requires to run. The affected environment variables are:
MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH MAYA_MODULE_PATH MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH XBMLANGPATH
If you set these variables, the path you give comes before the standard paths. First priority is given to settings made through the operating system, followed by Maya.env settings. Standard paths are always last. For a list of the standard paths, see the specific environment variable in the section "Standard Maya environment variables" on page 199.
Warning Because your path settings take priority over standard Maya paths, a conflict may occur and Maya may fail to load. In this case, try starting Maya with only default settings by typing the following at the command line: maya -default.
Other path settings

For the system PATH variable, Maya adds $MAYA_LOCATION/bin. On UNIX, it also adds /usr/aw/com/bin. Maya checks whether the directory specified by the HOME variable (UNIX) or USERPROFILE variable (NT) exists and is writable. If not, Maya issues a prompt for you to provide a writable home directory. Note that HOME and USERPROFILE cannot be set in the Maya.env file.

STANDARD MAYA ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

This section lists the Maya environment variables you might typically use.
MAYA_APP_DIR
This variable defines your personal Maya application directory. This directory contains your projects and other important items: the prefs directory the projects directory mayaRenderLog.txt mayaLog mayaJournal the scripts directory (Maya.env, if you choose to create it, can also reside in this directory) You can only set MAYA_APP_DIR from the operating system; you cannot use Maya.env. If you do not set it, the default values are: ~username/maya (UNIX) or drive:\WINNT\Profiles\username (NT).
MAYA_DEBUG_ENABLE_CRASH_REPORTING
When Maya encounters a fatal error, this variable writes a crash report file (.crash) in the current working directory. This file contains a detailed description of what Maya was doing when the failure occurred. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined.
MAYA_DISABLE_BACKSPACE_DELETE
Disables the functionality of the backspace key. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined.
MAYA_FILE_ICON_PATH
This variable has become obsolete since Maya 3.0. See "XBMLANGPATH" on page 202 as this variable should be used instead.
MAYA_HELP_URL
This variable is used to override the path where help files are found. The default is $MAYA_LOCATION/docs/en_US/html/. e.g. MAYA_HELP_URL=$MAYA_LOCATION/docs/ja_JP.EUC/html/
Note Incorrect use of this flag will prevent online help from working within Maya. If your company has installed the documentation in a central location to save disk space, and you are accessing it via an intranet, then you need to use both the MAYA_HELP_URL and the showHelp command to see online documentation. Set MAYA_HELP_URL to the URL address of the top level of the online help. (i.e. The place where the MasterIndex.html file is found.) e.g. MAYA_HELP_URL=http://company.com/maya4.0/docs/en_US/html/

Standard Maya environment variables Then each user needs to copy the file helpTable onto their machine. This file is also at the top level of the online help. The last step is to add a line to each users "userSetup.mel" file that tells Maya where to find the local helpTable. e.g. showHelp -helpTable "$HOME/maya/4.0/helpTable"; The showHelp command needs a path to the helpTable, not a URL.
MAYA_LOCATION
The path for the Maya installation directory. If it is not set, it defaults to /usr/aw/ mayaVersionNumber (UNIX) or drive:\AW\mayaVersionNumber (NT).
MAYA_MODULE_PATH
Defines the search paths for Maya module files. A module file describes the install location for certain Maya components, such as subdivision surfaces. Generally, you dont need to set this variable. But, keep in mind that for each path extracted from the modules files, Maya appends the suffixes plug-ins, scripts and icons and icons, and then adds the appended path to MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH, MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH, and XBMLANGPATH, respectively. The following table lists the default paths, which will always follow any path that you specify.
Default for Windows %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\4.0\modules %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\modules C:\AW\Modules\maya\4.0 C:\AW\Modules\maya

MAYA_NO_JITTER_FINAL_COLOR
Default for UNIX $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/4.0/modules $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/modules /usr/aw/modules/maya/4.0 /usr/aw/modules/maya
If you are quantizing to 8-bit color, we apply some randomness, or jitter, to the color. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined.
MAYA_OVERRIDE_UI
If this environment variable is set, Maya wont load the file initialLayout.mel, which creates the interface. You must specify an alternate file to run (for example, MAYA_OVERRIDE_UI = test.mel). This variable should only be specified if you want to completely replace Mayas UI for your own, custom-programmed interface.
MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH
Search path for plug-ins. When a plug-in is specified by relative path name, the directories in this path will be searched for the given plug-in name. This path also determines which directories will be listed in the Plug-in Manager. The following table lists the default paths, which will always follow any path that you specify.

Default for Windows %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\4.0\plug-ins %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\plug-ins %MAYA_LOCATION%\bin\plug-ins
Default for UNIX $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/4.0/plug-ins $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/plug-ins /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/4.0/plug-ins /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/plug-ins $MAYA_LOCATION/bin/plug-ins
MAYA_PROJECT
Defines the default location of your project. You can change the location at any time by choosing File > Project. This variable simply defines the default.
MAYA_RENDERER_RT_BACKGROUND_COLOR
If you set this variable to 1, Maya includes the camera background in the calculation of reflection and refraction rays. If you set this variable to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined, Maya ignores the background color for these rays.
MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH
Colon-separated search path for Mel scripts. If an unresolved Mel procedure is called, then this path will be searched for a script that implements it. Also, if a Mel file is sourced without giving the full path, then this path will be searched. The following table lists the default paths, which will always follow any path that you specify.
Default for Windows %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\4.0\scripts %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\scripts %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\4.0\prefs\shelves %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\startup %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\others %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\AETemplates %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\paintEffects %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\cloth %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\live %MAYA_LOCATION%\scripts\fur
Default for UNIX $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/4.0/scripts $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/scripts /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/4.0/scripts /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/scripts $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/4.0/prefs/ shelves $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/startup $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/others $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/AETemplates $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/paintEffects $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/cloth $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/live $MAYA_LOCATION/scripts/fur
MAYA_USE_V1_CAMERA
Allows you to revert to the old (Maya 1.0/1.5) camera model behavior. Starting with Maya 2.0, we have fixed how the camera behaves when lens squeeze is not 1.0, or when the resolutions aspect ratio is not the same as the x-resolution divided by the y-resolution. If you are in the middle of a job started with Maya 1.0/1.5, you may need the old (incorrect) behavior for continuity. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 201

MAYA_USE_VERSION1_DISPLACEMENT
Allows you to revert to the old (Maya 1.0) displacement mapping behavior. Starting with Maya 1.5/2.0, we significantly improved displacement mapping. If you are in the middle of a job started using Maya 1.0, you may need the old behavior for continuity. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined.
MAYA_USE_VERSION1_POLY_TANGENT
Allows you to revert to the old (Maya 1.0) polygon tangent calculation behavior. For Maya 1.5/2.0 we significantly improved the way we calculate tangents on polygon objects. This primarily affects bump-mapping. If you are in the middle of a job started using Maya 1.0, you may need the old behavior for continuity. To enable this option, set the value equal to 1. To disable it, set the value to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined.
TMPDIR and TEMP
This variable specifies the directory location Maya uses for various temporary files, such as: temporary render cache files during a render crash files if Maya crashes On UNIX, set TMPDIR only. On NT, set both TEMP and TMPDIR. If not set, the temporary directory is /tmp (UNIX) or C:/temp (NT).
XBMLANGPATH
For both UNIX and Windows, this variable specifies the location of icon files, such as icons used for Shelf buttons. On UNIX, the syntax is slightly different then other paths. For example:
XBMLANGPATH = "./icons/%B:$HOME/dev/icons/%B"
In this example, %B is acts as a placeholder that will be replaced by Maya with the bitmap filename. The following table lists the default paths, which will always follow any path that you specify.
Default for Windows %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\4.0\prefs\icons %MAYA_APP_DIR%\maya\prefs\icons %MAYA_LOCATION%\icons %MAYA_LOCATION%\icons\paintEffects %MAYA_LOCATION%\icons\cloth %MAYA_LOCATION%\icons\live %MAYA_LOCATION%\icons\fur
Default for UNIX $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/4.0/prefs/icons/%B $MAYA_APP_DIR/maya/prefs/icons/%B /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/4.0/icons/%B /usr/aw/userconfig/maya/icons/%B $MAYA_LOCATION/icons/%B $MAYA_LOCATION/icons/paintEffects/%B $MAYA_LOCATION/icons/cloth/%B $MAYA_LOCATION/icons/live/%B $MAYA_LOCATION/icons/fur/%B

WINEDITOR
Allows you to override the Expression Editor and use your own editor. The editor must be set to run in the foreground.
MAYA_PAINT_EFFECTS_THREADS
As of Maya 4.0, Paint Effects uses the multiple processors on your machine when painting and rendering. You can set this variable to control the number of processors used by Maya. The minimum is one (1) and the maximum is three (3).

Image by Ben Radcliffe
PART 2
EDITORS
USING MAYA EDITORS

The chapter describes Maya editors, including: several of the General Editors, the Relationship Editor, the Attribute Editor, the Channel Box, and the Outliner. General Editors are tools you can use in a number of diverse workflows. One of the General Editors, the Attribute Spread Sheet, lets you see and modify attributes for multiple objects simultaneously. You use it to view and edit attributes in a columnar layout, and to keyframe them. The Relationship Editor provides a single place to work with memberships for sets, deformer sets, character sets, partitions, display layers, shading groups, and light linking. You can quickly see the relationships, and select and remove items in those relationships. The Attribute Editor is used to examine a particular objects attributes in more detail, and with a more explanatory interface. Its advantage is that it is very detailed, and allows you to work on one object at a time. This is particularly useful for dealing with particles. The Channel Box is the primary, fastest, and most streamlined tool for editing object attributes. It lets you quickly set keys, and lock, unlock, or create expressions on attributes. The Outliner lists the objects, lights, cameras, and other items in a scene. This arrangement is called the scene hierarchy. Maya includes several other editors not described in this chapter. For details, refer to the following: Reference Editor, see "Using the Reference Editor" on page 181 Hypergraph, see "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263 Layer Editor, see "Using layers" on page 130 Rendering Editors, see Using Maya: Rendering Animation Editors, see Using Maya: Animation Render Globals, see Using Maya: Rendering Hypershade, see Using Maya: Rendering Visor, see Using Maya: Rendering Expression Editor, see Using Maya: Expressions
USING MAYA EDITORS | 9

Using General Editors
USING GENERAL EDITORS

General editors are grouped together because they are useful across all functional areas of Maya (Animation, Modeling, Dynamics, Rendering). To select a general editor: Select Window > General Editors and click the appropriate menu item:
Component Editor
Lets you edit data assigned to components. For example, you can use the Component Editor to modify the weights assigned to individual CVs by cluster deformers. See "Using the Component Editor" on page 209. Lets you view and edit attributes for multiple objects at the same time. See "Using the Attribute Spread Sheet" on page 212.
Attribute Spread Sheet
Connection Editor
Lets you explicitly connect any two attributes. For example, you could use the Connection Editor to connect a shader attribute to a texture attribute. See the book Using Maya: Rendering. Lets you manage your Maya files for various applications, including rendering and Paint Effects. For more information, see Using Maya: Rendering, Using Maya: Painting, and Using Maya: Animation. You can use Maya's Blind Data Editor to define the blind data types you need, and then apply the blind data to objects or components in your scene. The blind data editor also allows you to query your scene for blind data of a specific type or set of values and use false coloring to visualize what blind data is assigned to each objects. For more information, see Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling. Displays all of a nodes attributes and lets you make them keyable or not keyable, editable or not editable (locked or unlocked). Since the Channel Box lists only keyable attributes, you often use Channel Control to add attributes to the items displayed in the Channel Box. For information on using Channel Control, see Using Maya: Animation. For information on the Channel Box, see "Using the Channel Box" on page 236. Lets you edit a script. See Using Maya: MEL. Lets you enter MEL commands directly through a command window. See Using Maya: MEL.
Visor
Blind Data Editor
Channel Control
Script Editor Command Shell

Using the Component Editor

Use the Component Editor to edit data assigned to components. For example, you can use the Component Editor to modify the weights assigned to individual CVs by cluster deformers.
You can use the Component Editor to edit the component data of particles, springs, NURBS CVs, polygonal vertices, and lattice points. For example, you can edit the following component data with the Component Editor: the stiffness of individual springs the colors of individual particles polygonal vertex normals and colors the weights of CVs, vertices, or lattice points influenced by cluster deformers the weights assigned to CVs, vertices, or lattice points after smooth or rigid skinning
Editing component data

With the Component Editor, you can find out what data is currently assigned to particular components, and then change that data. To query component data: 1 2 Select the components whose data you want to edit. Select Window > General Editors > Component Editor. The Component Editor opens. The Component Editor displays the component data for currently selected components in the workspace. By default, the Component Editor updates dynamically as you select components in the workspace. Also, as you select components in the Component Editor, the workspace updates dynamically.

Click on tabs to select component types or influences Objects influencing component data listed by column Components listed by rows Component data is displayed for editing in a spreadsheet
3
Polygons
Click the Polygons, AdvPolygons, Springs, Particles, Weighted Deformers, JointClusters, and SkinClusters, tabs to view component data. Lists component data of polygonal vertices, including color or normal data in world space coordinates. If color or normal data are not shared at the vertex level, the column displays the word UnShared. These unshared values can be viewed and edited from the AdvPolygons tab. Lists vertex face component data, including color and normal values for the vertex face. Lists component data for springs, including stiffness and damping data. Lists component data for particles, including color or velocity data. Lists component data of CVs, vertices, or lattice points influenced by cluster deformers (cluster weights). Lists component data of CVs, vertices, or lattice points bound to a skeletons joints by rigid skinning (joint cluster weights). Lists component data of CVs, vertices, or lattice points bound to a skeletons joints by smooth skinning (skin cluster weights). Note that if the components are organized into sets, the sets are also listed. To modify component data:
AdvPolygons Springs Particles Weighted Deformers JointClusters SkinClusters
In the Component Editors spreadsheet, click the component data text box you want to edit. Only the component whose text box you selected is now selected in the workspace. Enter a new value or use the slider bar. To modify several components at once:
1 2 3
In the workspace, select the components whose data you want to edit. In the Component Editors spreadsheet, drag through the component data text boxes you want to edit. Enter the value you want all the text boxes to have.

Using General Editors To modify an entire row or column (UNIX only): 1 2 3 4 In the workspace, select the components whose data you want to edit. In the Component Editors spreadsheet, click one of the text boxes in the row or column. Click the row or column heading. Now all the text boxes for the row or column are selected. Enter a value for all the text boxes in the row or column. To modify an entire row or column (Windows only): 1 2 3 4 In the workspace, select the points whose weights you want to edit. To change all the entries of a row or column, in the Component Editors spreadsheet, select the row or column heading. Shift select any of the text boxes in that row or column. Enter a new value to update the entire row or column.
Updating component data

By default, the Component Editor updates its display automatically to list whatever components youve just selected in the workspace. This automatic updating enables the rapid selection and editing of component data. If you prefer, you can turn automatic updating off so that the Component Editor lists components you selected in the workspace only when you tell it to do so. In contrast to automatic updating, this approach is called manual loading. To use automatic updating: In the Component Editor, select List > Auto Update, turning Auto Update on. (This is the default.)
Note The display does not automatically update if you undo, redo, or modify components in the workspace. For these types of changes, you must manually load components to refresh the Component Editor display. To use manual loading: 1 2 3 In the Component Editor, select List > Auto Update, turning Auto Update off. In the workspace, select the components whose data you want to edit. To list the components in the Component Editor, select List > Load Selected Components. Alternatively, click the Load Components button located below the spreadsheet.

Changing the display

You can control the number of decimal places that are shown in the Component Editor. To change the display of decimal places: 1 2 Select List > Change Precision. The Change Precision dialog box opens. Type the number of decimal places and select OK. The Channel Box fields resize to show the precision you have specified.
Note Select Channels > Settings > Reset to Default to return the width, precision, and channel name type back to the default settings.
Using the Attribute Spread Sheet

Attributes (also known as channels) are qualities or characteristics that affect the visual representation of objects (for example. position or color) or behavior of objects (for example, the damping of a joint or magnitude of a force). You can use the Attribute Spread Sheet to set various attributes for more than one object in a pane or for a particular node of an object. You can also use this tool to assign various attributes from the Attribute Editor to multiple objects or nodes. Use the Attribute Spread Sheet to see and edit attributes for multiple objects simultaneously. It doesn't show whether attributes are connected or locked, and it does not show multi-attributes at all. To examine the attributes of a node in more detail, and with a more explanatory interface, you can use the Attribute Editor. However, the Attribute Editor can be slower than the Attribute Spread Sheet, because you can only work on one object at a time. (The Channel Box works on all selected objects.)
Displaying the Attribute Spread Sheet

Use the Attribute Spread Sheet to change the attributes for an object. To display the Attribute Spreadsheet: 1 2 Select the node you want to change the attributes for. Select Window > General Editors > Attribute Spread Sheet. Maya displays the nodes name in the Attribute Spread Sheet.
Notes When the Attribute Spread Sheet first opens, the Keyable tab is selected. This tab displays all the keyable attributes of the selected objects. Most other tabs display useful subsets of these attributes. The All tab displays all attributes, keyable or not. Many attributes useful in editing an object are not stored in its main node, but rather in the shape node associated with it. Some of the tabs in the Attribute Spread Sheet (such as Shape Keyable, Tessellation, and so on) show you attributes in the associated shape.

selected node
name of the selected node
Tips If you have any problems selecting a node, select Window > Hypergraph. For more information, see "Using the Hypergraph" on page 263. To select all of an objects nodes at once, drag a box around the object. To display shorter attribute names: When you display the Attribute Spread Sheet, Maya shows the full attribute names. You can make the column smaller by showing the short names instead. To show the short attribute name, select Names > Short Attribute Names in the Attribute Spread Sheet. To show the long attribute name, select Names > Long Attribute Names.
Entering values for attributes

You can set any of these combinations with one text entry. a single attribute of one or more objects two or more attributes of the same object two or more attributes of multiple objects For example, you can enter the value 5 in one text box to change the three attributes for scaling along the X, Y, and Z axis for more than one object. You can also change the values of several attributes by a relative amount. For example, you can add 3 to the Scale X, Scale Y, and Scale Z attributes. Entering an exact value for object attributes You can give one or more attributes an exact value as follows: To change the value of a single attribute: 1 2 Select the object(s). The Attribute Spreadsheet displays the attributes of the object(s). In the Attribute Spreadsheet, click the attributes text box. For example, click the Scale X text box.

Using General Editors 3 Type the new entry and press Enter or the tab key. For example, type 5 and press Enter. For a Scale X entry, this sets the X axis scaling of all selected objects to 5 grid units. To change the value of two or more attributes: 1 2 Select the object(s). The Attribute Spreadsheet displays the attributes of the object(s). In the Attribute Spreadsheet, select the desired attribute text boxes. For example, you can click the Translate X text box and drag through to the Translate Y text box for an object, then drag down to select the Translate X and Y boxes for other objects. The first box you click is where you enter the value. The other selected text boxes turn black. This lets you know theyre selected in addition to the box where youll type the new number.
Drag through adjacent boxes
Tip To select several adjacent boxes, drag through them. To add a non-adjacent box to a selection, Ctrl-click the additional box. To select a range of boxes, click the first box and Shift-click the last box. To select an entire row of boxes, click the node name. To select an entire column of boxes, click the column name. 3 Type the new entry and press Enter or the tab key. For example, type 5 and press Enter. If Translate X and Translate Y are selected when you enter 5, all selected Translate X and Translate Y attributes become 5.

Using General Editors Entering a relative value for attributes You can change the values of several attributes by a relative amount. For example, you can add 3 to the Scale X, Scale Y, and Scale Z attributes. To do this, you must enter these arithmetic operators in the text boxes:
Arithmetic operator += -= *= /=
Operation Adds the entry to the existing value in each selected box Subtracts the entry to the existing value in each selected box Multiplies the entry to the existing value in each selected box Divides the entry to the existing value in each selected box
Example entry += 3.5 -= 3.333 *= 7 /= 3
For example, suppose youve selected an object named Ball. Its Scale X and Scale Y attributes are set to 3 and 5 in the Attribute Spreadsheet. If you select the Scale X and Scale Y text boxes, typing += 2 in the text box adds 2 to each value. So Scale X would become 5 and Scale Y would become 7.
Managing the layout of information

There are three ways to manage information in the Attribute Spread Sheet: Select Layouts > Show Selected Columns Only to display selected columns of information. This reduces the amount of information on your display. Use Layouts > Remember This Layout to save a selected layout and recall it later. Use Layouts > Delete Current Layout to delete a layout.

Using General Editors To show selected columns: 1 2 3 From the Attribute Spread Sheet, select the tab that has the attributes that you want to display. Each attribute occupies a column. Click on the title of one of the columns you want to show. Ctrl-click to select additional columns until you have selected all the attributes you are interested in. Select Layouts > Show Selected Columns Only. All the other columns are hidden, leaving only the ones you have selected. This layout persists until you select another tab, or close the Attribute Spread Sheet. To make the new layout permanent, follow the next set of steps.
To remember a layout: 1 2 Select Layouts > Remember This Layout. The Remember Layout window opens. Type the name of the new layout and then click Remember. Maya adds a tab for this new layout. You can now recall the layout by clicking on the tab. To delete a layout: To delete a layout, select Layouts > Delete Current Layout. Maya removes the tab from the window.
Note You can remove Mayas pre-defined tabs, but they will return the next time you open the window.
Setting attribute keys in the Attribute Spread Sheet

Keys are markers that represent the value of an attribute of an object at a particular time. When the value of an attribute is different at one key from another, that attributes value will change over time as Maya calculates the value of the attribute in the time between the keys, and that attribute is animated. The act of placing a key is called setting a key for that attribute at that time. For details, see Using Maya: Animation. To set attribute keys in the Attribute Spread Sheet: 1 2 Select the cells you want to set keys for. Select Key > Key Selected.

Using the Relationship Editor
USING THE RELATIONSHIP EDITOR

Use the Relationship Editor to edit relationships in Maya, where a relationship is a collection or grouping of objects or components. These relationships include: sets deformer sets character sets partitions display layers render layers light linking (light-centric and object-centric) UV linking (texture-centric and UV-centric)
Note The Relationship Editor is separate from the Dynamic Relationships Editor, which is used to control relationships of particle objects. See Using Maya: Dynamics for more information. For all these types of relationships, you can do the following in the Relationship Editor: specify view options (see "Setting view options" on page 218) select which relationships and objects display ("Displaying relationships and objects" on page 218) create and delete relationships (see "Creating relationships" on page 220) select members of a relationship (see "Selecting relationships, relationship members, and objects" on page 221) add and remove members of a relationship (see "Adding and removing relationship members" on page 221) filter which relationships and objects display in the Relationship Editor (see "Selecting which relationships and objects show" on page 219) To open the Relationship Editor: From the main Maya window, select Window > Relationship Editors and select the relationship you want to work with. (You can change this from within the Relationship Editor.) or From a panel, select Panels > Panel > Relationship Editor. Note that this opens the Relationship Editor in a panel rather than a separate window. The Relationship Editor opens.

Using the Relationship Editor
Select the type of relationship you want to work with
The left side of the editor displays relationships of the type you selected, while the right side of the editor displays objects in the scene.
Setting view options

You can set view options for sets, partitions, characters, and deformer sets. You can automatically expand the relationships in the display area so you can see the members of each relationship without having to click the plus sign beside them. In the Relationship Editor, select the relationship type, then select Options > Auto Expand Frames to turn it on.
Displaying relationships and objects

Using the List menu, you can control which relationships are loaded in the left panel of the Relationship Editor, and which objects are loaded in right panel. By default, all relationships and objects display, but you may want to limit the display so you can see what youre working on more clearly. You can also control what displays in the Relationship Editor using the Show menu. For details, see "Selecting which relationships and objects show" on page 219. To display relationships: On the left panel, select one of the following options from the List menu.
Auto Load All Manual Load
Turn this on to automatically display all relationships of the selected type in the scene. This is the default. Turn this on to display relationships by choosing one of the following options:
Load from Selection Add from Selection Remove from Selection
Display only the relationships associated with the objects selected in the scene. Add to the display the relationships associated with the objects selected in the scene. Remove from the display the relationships associated with the objects selected in the scene.

Using the Relationship Editor To display objects: On the right side panel, select one of the following options from the List menu.
Auto Load All Auto Load Selection Manual Load
Turn this on to automatically display all objects in the scene. Turn this on to automatically display objects in the relationships associated with the objects selected in the scene. Turn this on to display objects by choosing one of the following options:
Load List from Selection Add Selection to List Remove Selection from List
Display only the selected objects. Add to the display the objects selected in the scene.
Remove from the display the objects selected in the scene.
Selecting which relationships and objects show

You can display a subset of relationships and objects in the Relationship Editor using the Show menu. What you can display depends on the relationship you are editing. For more information, see "Limiting the information shown in editors" on page 258. To select which relationships show: In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, select Show > Objects, then select the types of relationships you want to show. Only the items you select will display in the left panel. or Type text in the Text Filter box to limit the display to items with that text. For details, see "Limiting the display to items containing specific text" on page 259. To show all relationships: In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, select Show > Objects, then turn off the items you now want to show. or To show all types of relationships, select Show > Show All. To select which objects show: In the right panel of the Relationship Editor, select Show > Objects, then select the types of objects you want to show. Only the items you select will display in the right panel. or Type text in the Text Filter box to limit the display to items with that text. For details, see "Limiting the display to items containing specific text" on page 259.

Using the Relationship Editor To show all objects: In the right panel of the Relationship Editor, select Show > Objects, then turn off the items you now want to show. or To show all types of objects, select Show > Show All.
Creating relationships
From the Relationship Editor, you can create the following relationships: sets (see "Creating sets" on page 303 partitions (see "Creating, displaying, and removing partitions" on page 308) characters (see Using Maya: Character Setup) display layers (see "Using layers" on page 130) render layers (see "Using layers" on page 130) shading groups (see Using Maya: Rendering) light sets and object sets (see Using Maya: Rendering) You cannot create deformer sets. In general, use the following procedure to create a new relationship. To create a relationship in the Relationship Editor: 1 Select the objects or items in the workspace, Outliner, or elsewhere. If you dont select any objects or items, an empty set will be created. You can add to it later. See "Adding and removing relationship members" on page 221. 2 3 4 Open the Relationship Editor (see "To open the Relationship Editor:" on page 217). Select the type of relationship you want to create, if it isnt already selected. For sets, partitions, and characters: On the left panel of the editor, select Edit > Create Relationship , where Relationship is the type of relationship you are creating (set, partition, character). An Options window opens. In the Name box, type a name for the set. For example, if you are creating a set with polygonal objects, you might call the set polyObjects. Click Apply and Close. or For light sets, or object sets, select Edit > Create Relationship, where Relationship is the type of relationship you are creating (partition, character, display layer). The new set appears on the left side of the Relationship Editor. If a relationship or other item in the scene already has the specified name, the new set name will be appended with a number. For example, entering top results in top1, because top is the name of a camera that exists in every scene by default. To rename a relationship in the Relationship Editor: Double-click the name of the relationshi, type the new name and press Enter.

Using the Relationship Editor To delete a relationship in the Relationship Editor: In the left panel, click on the relationship you want to delete and select Edit > Delete Highlighted.
Selecting relationships, relationship members, and objects

You can use the Relationship Editor to quickly select relationships, members of relationships, and objects in your scene. When you select a relationship, it becomes active in the channel box, or the Attribute Editor. To select a relationship: 1 2 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, click the relationship(s) you want to select. Notice that member of the set are highlighted in the Objects panel. Select Edit > Select Highlighted. The relationship(s) becomes active. To select set members: 1 2 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, click the relationship(s) with the members you want to select. Select Edit > Select Set Members, The members of the highlighted set are selected in the scene. To select objects in your scene: 1 2 In the right panel of the Relationship Editor, click the object(s) you want to select in your scene. Select Edit > Select Highlighted. The highlighted objects are selected in your scene.
Adding and removing relationship members

Use the Relationship Editor to quickly add and remove objects or items from a relationship. To add objects or items to a relationship: 1 2 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, click the relationship you want to add objects or items to. In the right panel of the Relationship Editor, click on the objects or items you want to add to the relationship. or In the scene, select the objects or items you want to add to the relationship and select Edit > Add Selected Items or click the plus sign button beside the relationship type at the top left of the Relationship Editor.

Using the Attribute Editor To remove objects or items from a relationship: 1 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, expand the relationship you want to remove objects or items from by clicking the plus sign (+) beside it, if it is not already expanded. Still in the left panel, click on the object or item you want to remove from the expanded relationship and select Edit > Remove Highlighted from Set. or 1 2 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, click the relationship you want to remove objects or items from. In the Object panel of the Relationship Editor, click on the highlighted objects or items you want to remove from the relationship. or In the scene, select the objects or items you want to remove from the relationship and select Edit > Remove Selected Items or click the minus sign (-) beside the relationship type at the top left of the Relationship Editor.
USING THE ATTRIBUTE EDITOR

Use the Attribute Editor to view and set the attributes for any object or node. For example, you can use the Attribute Editor to change the rotation order of an object (that is, the rotation order under the scale/rotate/translate attributes.) You can also use the Attribute Editor to turn many items in the Display menu on and off. The Attribute Editor provides access to all attributes for an object or node. You can also use the Channel Box and the Attribute Spreadsheet to view and set attributes. The Channel Box provides access to keyable attributes only. For information on the Channel Box, see "Using the Channel Box" on page 236. The Attribute Spreadsheet provides access to all attributes, and lets you change attribute values for multiple objects at the same time. For information on the Attribute Spreadsheet, see "Using the Attribute Spread Sheet" on page 212.
Displaying the Attribute Editor

The Attribute Editor displays in a separate window or in the main Maya window, depending on your preference settings (Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences, Interface category). To open the Attribute Editor: Do one of the following: Click the Show or hide the Attribute Editor button on the Status Line Select Window > Attribute Editor. Press Ctrl-A in the view. Right-click the object or node and select it from the marking menu. Select Display > UI Elements > Attribute Editor. In the Hypergraph, select the object or node, then select Edit > Attributes. Double-click a node in the Hypershade, Visor, Multilister, or Outliner. .

Using the Attribute Editor
To change the default display of the Attribute Editor: 1 2

In Separate Window
Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences and then the Interface category. Select one of the following options beside Open Attribute Editor and click Save. Opens the Attribute Editor in a separate window.
In Main Maya Window
Opens the Attribute Editor in the main Maya window where the Channel Box normally resides. You can switch between displaying the Attribute Editor and Channel Box using the Show or hide buttons on the Status Line or from the Display > UI Elements submenu. (You cannot display both the Attribute Editor and the Channel Box in the main Maya window at the same time.) Common attributes and buttons Each tab in the Attribute Editor represents an individual node and contains all the attributes for that node. Click a tab to display and modify the attributes for that node. For details about specific attributes, refer to the appropriate Using Maya book. The following attributes and buttons are common to most Attribute Editor tabs. the name of the node (for example, nurbsSphere1 or lambert1) Input Connection button Click the Input Connection button to display the first input connection node for the currently displayed node. Right-click the Input Connection button to display a list of all input connection nodes. You can then choose a node from this list to display in the Attribute Editor. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 223

Using the Attribute Editor Output Connection button Click the Output Connection button to display the first output connection node for the currently displayed node. Right-click the Output Connection button to display a list of all output connection nodes. You can then choose a node from this list to display in the Attribute Editor. Focus button Click this button to set the Attribute Editor focus to this node. a sample image or icon that represents the node (where appropriate) Select button Click this button to select the node that is currently displayed in the Attribute Editor. Load Attributes button Click this button to manually load the attributes of the selected object or node. Copy Tab button Click this button to create a new window containing the selected tab. See "Viewing attributes for different objects at the same time" on page 226. Menus The Attribute Editor has the following menus:
List
Use this menu to load attributes into the Attribute Editor and to define which items display in the Selected/Object menu. See "Loading object attributes into the Attribute Editor" on page 225. The Selected menu lists objects currently selected in the scene while the Object menu displays all the objects in the scene of a selected type. See "Loading attributes from the Selected/Object menu" on page 226. This menu displays all nodes that have been selected in the scene while the Attribute Editor is open. The most recently selected node is at the top of the list. "Loading attributes from the Focus menu" on page 226. Use this menu to add, edit, and delete extra attributes for an object or node. These appear under the Extra Attributes section. You can also add, edit, and delete attributes using the Modify menu. For details, see "Adding a custom attribute" on page 227, "Editing custom attributes" on page 229, and "Deleting custom attributes" on page 230. Right-click menu options For some attributes, a pop-up menu appears when you right-click the attribute name or text box. This pop-up menu has the following options:
Selected/ Object
Focus
Attributes
output connection node
If you set a key for the attribute or connect a texture to it, the resulting output connection node name displays as the first menu item. To load the attributes for this node into the Attribute Editor, select it.
Create New Expression
Select this option to create a new expression for the attribute. For details, see "Launching the Expression Editor" on page 232.
Set Key
Select this option to set a key for the attribute. For details, see "Setting keys for attributes in the Attribute Editor" on page 231. This options disappears from the menu if you have already connected a texture to the attribute.

Set Driven Key Break Connection Create New Texture Color Chooser Lock/Unlock Attribute
Select this option to link the attribute values. For details, see "Linking attributes" on page 232. Select this option to break the connection between the attribute and a key or texture. For details, see "Breaking connections" on page 232. Select this option to connect a texture to the attribute. For details, see "Mapping a texture to an attribute value" on page 233. This option displays for color attributes only. Select it to open the Color Chooser. For details, see "Using the Color Chooser" on page 233.
Select the Lock option to lock an attribute value so that it cannot be changed. Use Unlock Attribute to unlock the value. For details, see "Locking attribute values" on page 232.
Ignore/Dont Ignore when Rendering
This option displays only for attributes that are connected to keys or textures. Select the Ignore when Rendering option to ignore the connection when rendering. If the attribute has a map button, the button changes to indicate that the connection will be ignored.
Indicates that the attribute is connected to a key or texture Indicates that the connection will be ignored when rendering
Select the Dont Ignore when Rendering option to render with the set connection. For details, see Using Maya: Rendering.
Loading object attributes into the Attribute Editor

Loading attributes into the Attribute Editor makes them available to view or edit. There are three ways to load object attributes into the Attribute Editor: automatically when you select the object manually by selecting the object from the Attribute Editor Selected/Object menu by selecting the object from the Focus menu
Loading attributes automatically

When you select an object, its attributes are automatically loaded into the Attribute Editor where you can view and edit them. Each node of the selected object automatically appears as a tab. This is the default method. To automatically load attributes for selected objects: In the Attribute Editor, select List > Auto Load Selected Attributes to turn it on.

Note If you select more than one item, Maya automatically updates the most recently selected one (that is, the most recent one in the pick list).
Loading attributes manually

If Auto Load Selected Attributes is turned off, after selecting an object, you must manually load the objects attributes into the Attribute Editor to view and edit them. To manually load attributes for selected objects: In the Attribute Editor, select List > Load Selected Attributes. or Click the Load Attributes button at the bottom of the Attribute Editor.
Loading attributes from the Selected/Object menu

By default, the menu that appears beside the List menu is the Selected menu. It lists all selected objects in the scene so they are readily available for loading into the Attribute Editor. To list selected objects in the Selected menu, select List > Selected Items. Instead of listing selected objects for easy availability in the Attribute Editor, you can list objects of a specified type. If you choose to do this, the menu that appears beside the List menu becomes the Object menu. To list all objects in the scene of a specified type, select the object category from the List menu (Dynamics, Kinematics, Deformers, Lights, Shading), then select the object. For example, to list all joints in the scene under the Object menu, select List > Kinematics > Joints. To load attributes for objects in the Selected/Object menu: In the Attribute Editor, select Selected > objectName, where objectName is the name of the object you want to load into the Attribute Editor.
Loading attributes from the Focus menu

The Focus menu displays all nodes that have been selected in the scene while the Attribute Editor is open. You can think of it as a history of the nodes youve viewed in the Attribute Editor. The most recently selected node is at the top of the list. Use it to redisplay the attributes for these nodes. To redisplay node attributes: In the Attribute Editor menu bar, select Focus, then select the node you want to load. The attributes for the selected node appear in the Attribute Editor.
Viewing attributes for different objects at the same time

You can simultaneously view attributes for multiple objects by opening multiple copies of the Attribute Editor.

Using the Attribute Editor To view attributes for different objects at the same time: 1 2 Select the first object and load the attributes into the Attribute Editor. (See "Loading object attributes into the Attribute Editor" on page 225.) In the Attribute Editor, click Copy Tab to create another version of the Attribute Editor. It appears as a separate window with the attributes for the selected object loaded. Select the next object and load the attributes into the original Attribute Editor. Note that the attributes for the first selected object remain loaded in the copy of the Attribute Editor. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each other object you want to view attributes for simultaneously.
Adding a custom attribute

Custom attributes are attributes you optionally add and define from the Add Attribute window. Although custom attributes are dynamically added to an object, we refer to them as custom to distinguish them from the built-in dynamic attributes. Custom attributes have no direct effect on any characteristic of an object in Maya. You can use them to control a combination of other attributes. You might also use a custom attribute as a variablea place to store a value temporarily to be read by other attributes. When you add a custom attribute to an object, it appears in the Extra Attributes section of the Attribute Editor (and in the Channel Box, if you make the attribute keyable). For practical examples of when you would add extra attributes, see Using Maya: Expressions. For details on editing a custom attribute, see "Editing custom attributes" on page 229. For details on deleting a custom attribute, see "Deleting custom attributes" on page 230.

Using the Attribute Editor To create a new attribute definition: 1 In the Attribute Editor, select Attributes > Add Attributes and click the New tab.
Set the new attribute options as follows and click the Add button. To view the new attribute controls, expand the Extra Attributes section in the Attribute Editor. Setting new attribute options
Attribute Name
Type the name of the attribute you are adding. Turn this option on to make this attribute keyable. For information about keyable attributes, see Using Maya: Animation.
Make Attribute Keyable
Data Type
Select the data type for the attribute:

Vector Float Integer Boolean String Enum
Creates a vector attribute consisting of three floating point values. Creates a floating point attribute. Creates an integer attribute. Creates an attribute consisting of an on/off turn. Creates a string attribute that accepts alphanumeric entries as data entry, such as a filename. Creates an attribute that accepts selections from an enumerated or drop-down list.

Note If you select Vector or Integer, you can also set Numeric Attributes.
Attribute Type
Select a type:
Scalar
Creates a per object attribute that you can set to a single value that applies to every particle in the object. A vector scalar is considered a single value with three numbers. If you select Scalar, you can specify Minimum, Maximum, and Default values for a Float or Integer attribute. Creates a per particle attribute. You can set this type of attribute to different values for each particle. If you select Array, you can also create a counterpart initial state attribute by turning on Add Initial State Attribute. Turn on to create a corresponding initial state attribute for the added attribute. Without this corresponding attribute, you cant save a particle objects current attribute values for initial state usage. You must write a creation expression if you decide to initialize the custom attributes value upon rewinding the animation. If you know youre going to write a creation expression for a custom attribute, you can set Add Initial State Attribute to off when you add the attribute. Otherwise, set Add Initial State Attribute to on whenever you add a custom per particle attribute.
Array
Add Initial State Attribute
Numeric Attributes
For scalar attributes, Minimum and Maximum set the lowest and highest values you can enter for the attribute in the Attribute Editor or Channel Box. Default sets the default value for the attribute. When you're adding a new Enum attribute, you need to define the list of acceptable strings. There are two default strings, "Green" and "Blue", in the Enum Names list that you can change. To change, select Green or Blue and then enter the new string in the New Name text box. To add a new string, click the blank entry below the last list item and type the string in the New Name text box.
Enum Names
Editing custom attributes

You can edit custom (or dynamic) attributes from either the main menu (Modify > Edit Attribute) or from the Attribute Editor (Attributes > Rename Attributes).You can perform the following editing operations on custom attributes. You can rename a custom attribute. Select it in the Attributes list and modify the name in the New Name text box. You can add, remove, or modify minimum and maximum values (for Integer, Float, and Vector type attributes). Select the attribute in the Attributes list and then turn on or off the Has Minimum and Has Maximum checkboxes, as well as type values for these in the corresponding Min/Max text boxes. You can control the display of custom attributes in the Channel Box. Select the attribute in the Attributes list and then turn the Keyable check box on or off. When Keyable is turned on, the custom attribute appears in the Channel Box.

Using the Attribute Editor You can change Enum strings. Select the Enum attribute in the Attributes list and modify the strings in the Enum list the same way you created them.
Note String type custom attributes do not appear in the Channel Box, therefore you cant edit the Keyable check box for them.
Note When you create a Vector type custom attribute, three child attributes are created (nameX, nameY, nameZ, where name is the name of the attribute). For example, if you created a vector attribute named Speed, the children would be SpeedX, SpeedY, and SpeedZ. You cant access the Numeric Attribute Properties (Keyable and Min/Max) of the parent vector attribute. You have to select a child attribute and modify its Numeric Attribute Properties.
Deleting custom attributes

You can delete custom (or dynamic) attributes from either the main menu (Modify > Delete Attribute) or from the Attribute Editor (Attributes > Delete Attributes). You cannot delete built-in dynamic attributes.
Changing node behavior

You can improve Mayas performance by changing node behavior settings. To change node behavior, select the node and expand the Node Behavior section of the Attribute Editor.
Caching
Turn Caching on to temporarily store upstream node evaluations in the cache. When Maya needs these evaluations (as input to the node), it uses the information stored in the cache rather than re-evaluating the upstream node. If no changes have been made to the node, it redraws more quickly. The cache is destroyed when you edit an attribute. Note that caching uses more memory, which could affect Mayas performance. Changing the node state can improve performance. There are six possible node states:
Normal HasNoEffect
Node State
Causes the node to behave normally, according to the defined settings and effects. This is the default. Disables any effects on the node so that fewer calculations are necessary at the time of redraw. Note that the effect will not render until you reset the Node State back to Normal. Maya evaluates the nodes in the nodes history, but not the node itself.

Using the Attribute Editor For example, if you translate a cluster to deform a geometry, then set the Node State of the cluster node to HasNoEffect, the geometry will appear undeformed, as though the translation had not occurred. To view the effect, change the Node State back to Normal.
Blocking
Temporarily hides the node and does not display the results of any input (upstream evaluations) to the node. This can speed the redraw. It is also useful when you have complex scenes and want to edit only one aspect of a node. Blocked nodes do not render. For example, if you have a complex revolved surface and want to edit the curve, but dont want to wait while the curve redraws, select Blocking and edit the curve. To display the modified revolved surface, reset the Node State to Normal. Note that Blocking has no effect on deformers.
Waiting-Normal
If the dependency graph refresh performance setting (Window > General Editors > Performance Settings) is set to Demand or Release, the node will take the Normal state when in the Hypergraph you select Update or release the mouse button. If the dependency graph refresh performance setting (Window > General Editors > Performance Settings) is set to Demand or Release, the node will take the HasNoEffect state when in the Hypergraph you select Update or release the mouse button. If the dependency graph refresh performance setting (Window > General Editors > Performance Settings) is set to Demand or Release, the node will take the Blocking state when in the Hypergraph you select Update or release the mouse button.
WaitingHasNoEffect
WaitingBlocking
Setting keys for attributes in the Attribute Editor

You can set a key for an object attribute in the Attribute Editor. For details about keys, see Using Maya: Animation. To set a key for one attribute: 1 2 Select the object. Click the timeline frame number where you want to set the key.
Click the timeline
3 4 5
In the Attribute Editor, select the attribute value. Type the value of the attribute and press Enter. Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Set Key. This sets the key for the object attribute value.

Tip To set a key for all attributes, use the Channel Box. For details, see "Setting keys for attributes from the Channel Box" on page 244.
Linking attributes
Maya has a special type of key called a driven key that links one attribute value to another. When you create a driven key, you specify a driver attribute value and a driven attribute value. The value of the driven attribute is locked to a corresponding value of the driver attribute. You can link attributes from the Attribute Editor by right-clicking the attribute text box or label and selecting Set Driven Key. For details, see Using Maya: Animation.
Breaking connections
In the Attribute Editor, the text box for an attribute that is connected to an expression, key, or other attribute (for example texture attribute) is displayed in a different color, depending on your color settings. To break a connection: 1 2 Select the object. In the Attribute Editor, right-click the attribute name or text box and select Break Connections.
Locking attribute values

You can lock an attribute value to avoid accidentally changing it later. To lock an attribute: 1 2 3 Select the object. In the Attribute Editor, set the attribute value you want to lock. Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Lock Attribute. This locks the value. The Attribute Editor displays locked attributes with a gray background. (This color may not be visible while the text box is selected.) When youve locked an attribute, you cannot change its value in the Attribute Editor, Channel Box, the workspace, or elsewhere. You must unlock the attribute to change its value. To unlock an attribute: 1 2 Select the object. In the Attribute Editor, right-click the attribute name or text box and select Unlock Attribute.
Launching the Expression Editor

You can launch the Expression Editor for the attribute selected in the Attribute Editor. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 232

Using the Color Chooser To start the Expression Editor: In the Attribute Editor, right-click the attribute name or text box and select Create New Expression. The Expression Editor opens. For details on its use, see Using Maya: Expressions.
Mapping a texture to an attribute value

You can map textures to non-keyed attributes in the Attribute Editor. To map a texture to an attribute value: In the Attribute Editor, right-click the attribute name or text box and select Create New Texture. or Click the map button beside the attribute . The button changes to indicate there is a connection. Click this button to view the attributes for the connected node. The Create Render Node window opens. For details, see Using Maya: Rendering.
USING THE COLOR CHOOSER

The Color Chooser is a color selection tool that launches when you click a color attribute in the Attribute Editor. (It also opens when assigning interface colors in the Colors window; see "Changing color settings" on page 330 for more information.) When you select a new color in the Color Chooser, it becomes the current color, shown in the top left tile of the Color Chooser and also in the color block of the Colors window or Attribute Editor. You can then close the Color Chooser. The Color chooser has several color selection tools. See the following illustration and topics for an explanation.

Using the Color Chooser
Current color Eyedropper
Storage tilesto store, right-click a tile or click the arrow button
Color wheel
Sliders (RGB and HSV)
Blend box Palettes (including Adobe palettes)
Using the color wheel and storage tiles

The fastest way to select a color is to drag the selector in the color wheel. Once you have the color selected, you can drag the brightness control on the left. Another quick way to select a color is to left click on one of the storage tiles at the top. To store the current color on a tile, right click a tile or click the arrow button.
Using the eyedropper

The eyedropper tool lets you grab a color from anywhere on the computer screen, including other applications. Click the eyedropper button, then position the eyedropper cursor anywhere on your screen. Click again to grab the color.
Using the sliders

For precise color selection, you can use the color sliders. You can switch between RGB sliders (Red, Green, Blue) or HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value), depending on the color model you want.
HSV
In this color model, Hue corresponds to the pure colors of the rainbow, such as yellow, blue, and green. Saturation is the amount of white mixed with the hue to set the intensity of the color. Value is the amount of black mixed with the hue to make it darker. If the Value is 0 (zero), then the color is black, regardless of the values for Hue and Saturation. This color model describes how red, green, and blue light combines at different intensities to produce different colors. Using RGB, you can choose which value range you want.
0 to 1
RGB
Each component color has a value from 0 to 1.

Using the Color Chooser
0 to 255
Each component color has a value from 0 (zero intensity) to 255 (full intensity). This model is useful because it relates directly to how monitors emit light to create colors. However, it is often hard for people to figure out what the RGB values are for a specific color.
A (alpha) slider
With the A (alpha) slider, you can control the opacity or transparency of the color you choose. Many Maya options already have an alpha or transparency control, but if it does not or you are calling the Color Chooser from the command line, you can use this slider to control the alpha channel.
Using the Blend box

The Blend box creates a blend between colors so that you can select a new color from the blended gradient. The following illustration explains how to use it.
1. To set a blend color, click a corner. Its replaced with the current color in memory.
2. Click anywhere in the blend box to select a blended color.
Using the Palette

In the Palette section, you can create and save custom color palettes. You can also open Adobe color palettes (file extension .aco), if it is in one of the following formats: RGB, HSV, CMYK, Lab, or Inverted Lab. (Other formats, such as Pantone, are not supported.) The following illustration highlights the palette components.
Choose a palette from the pull-down Left click a cell to select a color ...or... right click a cell to store a color
Click Blend to create a color gradient between a group of cells you selected
Open, Save, and Close palettes
To create a custom palette 1 2 3 Select a color using any of the Color Chooser tools, such as the Wheel. Right click on any tile to store the current color there. To create a blended gradient, select several tiles by dragging the mouse, then click Blend. A color gradient is created between the first and last tiles in your selection. For example, as shown below, you may want more color gradations than in the default palette.

Using the Channel Box
Blended tiles
When finished assigning colors, click Save and specify the filename. You can save the file in any directory. It is saved in ascii format.
USING THE CHANNEL BOX

Like the Attribute Editor, you use the Channel Box to modify an objects attribute values. The Channel Box is different from the Attribute Editor in that: It displays only the keyable attributes for the selected object. (You can make an object keyable, and therefore display in the Channel box by selecting Windows > Channel Control. For information on using Channel Control, see Using Maya: Animation.) You can change multiple attribute values of multiple objects (see "Entering values for attributes" on page 240) It takes up much less space in the window. You can control construction history. The information displayed in the Channel Box varies, depending on what kind of object or component you have selected. If you havent selected an object, the Channel Box region is blank.
Displaying the Channel Box

The Channel Box appears in the Maya window only if you choose to display it. It appears to the right of the workspace.
Note You can display either the Channel Box or the Attribute Editor in the main Maya window, but not both. To display the Channel Box: 1 2 Select the object (or component) that has the attributes you want to modify. If the Channel Box is not already displayed, click the Show or hide the Channel Box/ layer Editor button on the Status Line or turn on Display > UI Elements > Channel Box/Layer Editor. The following example shows the attributes of a selected sphere in the Channel Box.

Note Use the Channel Box Bar to switch between the Channel Box and Layer Editor.
Show the Channel Box Show the Layer Editor
Show the Channel Box and Layer Editor
Channel Box Selected object
Object attributes
Object attributes
Displaying object attributes

When you select a geometric object, the Channel Box displays these sections:
Section objectName
Usage Lists the keyable transform attributes that translate, scale, and rotate the objects absolute position in the world space. Also shows the objects visibility attribute. Lists the names of nodes that define the geometry of the object. Other nodes, such as related particle emitters may be found here. Lists the names of other nodes that affect this one. Typically, these comprise the construction history of the node. Lists the names of the output nodes (nodes that receive data) for this node.
SHAPES
INPUTS
OUTPUTS

Using the Channel Box If youve selected two or more objects, the Channel Box displays the attributes for the last object selected only. To display the attributes in the Channel Box of another selected object, select Object > objectName. Note that edits you make in the Channel Box will affect all selected objects of the same type as the one displayed.
Note When you set an attribute value using an expression or a Key, the attribute text box displays in a different color. (The actual color depends on which color scheme you are using.)
Adding attributes to the Channel Box

The Channel Box includes keyable attributes only. To add an attribute to the Channel Box, you must make it keyable. To make an attribute keyable: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Select the objects that have the attribute(s) you want to make keyable. Select Window > General Editors > Channel Control and click the Keyable tab. The Channel Control window opens. In the Non Keyable box, select the attributes you want to make keyable. Ctrl- or Shift-click to select more than one attribute. If you selected more than one object, turn on Change all selected objects of the same type to enable the editing of attributes common to the selected objects. Click Move. The selected attributes move to the Keyable box. Click Close. The attributes appear in the Channel Box.
Displaying component attributes

If you display attributes of an object component, the Channel Box displays only one section for shape attributes that pertain to the component. For example, suppose youve created a NURBS curve with the following CVs:
If you turn on component selection mode (in the main menu bar) and select the CVs, the Channel Box displays this:

You can display the CV values in the Channel Box and enter new values. To display the values, click CVs (click to show) in the Channel Box.
Changing the display format

To make more workspace available while you display the Channel Box, you can display abbreviations for the attribute names.
Complete names
Abbreviations
To display attribute name abbreviations: In the Channel Box, select Channels > Channel Names > Short. There are three choices for names: Long displays the full, correct channel name, Short displays the abbreviation, and Nice displays the name in the most readable form.

Tip The Channel Box is set to only show two decimal places of precision. You can increase this precision up to fifteen places by selecting Channels > Settings > Change Precision.
Entering values for attributes

With a single entry from your keyboard, you can change the value of: a single attribute of one or more objects two or more attributes of the same object two or more attributes of multiple objects
Object 1 Scale Y Object 2 Scale X Scale Y Scale Z Object 3 Scale X Scale Y Object 4 Scale X Scale Y
You can set any of these combinations with one text entry. For example, you can enter the value 5 in one text box to change the three attributes for scaling along the X, Y, and Z axis. You can also change the values of several attributes by a relative amount. For example, you can add 3 to the Scale X, Scale Y, and Scale Z attributes.
Tip When you enter a value in the Channel Box, you can press the tab key or one of the Enter (or Return) keys. If you press the Enter key on the numeric keypad, the keyboard focus will stay in the Channel Box. If you press the other Enter key, the keyboard focus will go back to the last selected panel.
Entering an exact value for object attributes

You can give one or more attributes an exact value as follows: To change the value of a single attribute of one or more objects: 1 Select the object or objects. For example, select the object from the Outliner or in the workspace. If you select two or more objects, the Channel Box displays only the attributes of the object you selected last. 2 In the Channel Box, click the attributes text box. For example, click the Scale X text box.

Click the text box
Type the new entry and press Enter. For example, type 5 and press Enter. For a Scale X entry, this sets the X axis scaling of all selected objects to 5 grid units. To change the value of two or more attributes of the same object:
1 2
Select the object. In the Channel Box, select the desired attribute text boxes. For example, you can click the Translate X text box and drag through to the Translate Z text box. The first box you click is where you enter the value. The other selected text boxes turn black. This lets you know theyre selected in addition to the box where youll type the new number.
Drag through adjacent boxes
Tip You can select multiple text boxes: To select several adjacent boxes, drag through them. To add a non-adjacent box to a selection, Ctrl-click the additional box. To select a range of boxes, click the first box and Shift-click the last box. 3 Type the new entry and press Enter. For example, type 5 and press Enter. If X translate, Y translate, and Z translate are selected when you enter 5, all three attributes become 5.

Using the Channel Box To change the value of two or more attributes of multiple objects: 1 2 3 Select the objects. In the Channel Box, select the attributes text boxes. Type the entry and press Enter.
Entering a relative value for attributes

You can change the values of several attributes by a relative amount. For example, you can add 3 to the Scale X, Scale Y, and Scale Z attributes. To do this, you must enter these arithmetic operators in the text boxes:
Arithmetic operator += -= *= /=
Operation Adds the entry to the existing value in each selected box Subtracts the entry to the existing value in each selected box Multiplies the entry to the existing value in each selected box Divides the entry to the existing value in each selected box
Example entry += 3.5 -= 3.333 *= 7 /= 3
For example, suppose youve selected an object named Ball. Its Scale X and Scale Y attributes are set to 3 and 5 in the Channel Box. If you select the Scale X and Scale Y text boxes, typing += 2 in the text box adds 2 to each value. So Scale X would become 5 and Scale Y would become 7.
Entering values using manipulators

By default, when you click an objects translate, rotate, or scale attribute name (such as Translate X), manipulators appear on the object in the workspace. The manipulators are the same ones displayed with the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools. You can drag the manipulators directly using the left mouse button.

Using the Channel Box If you do not want to display these manipulators, select Channels > Settings, then select either No Manips or Invisible Manips. If you select No Manips, you can only perform these operations from the Channel Box by entering values in the text boxes. If you select Invisible Manips, you perform these operations using the mouse (see "Entering values with the mouse (channel slider)" on page 243) or by entering values in the text boxes. You can also switch between using manipulators, no manipulators, and the mouse (channel slider) using the buttons at the top of the Channel Box.
Standard Manips
Invisible Manips
No Manips
Entering values with the mouse (channel slider)

For most attributes in the Channel Box, you can click the attribute name or text box then drag the middle mouse button in the workspace to change its value. Dragging to the right decreases the value, dragging to the left increases the value. You can also press the Ctrl key while dragging for fine control. To use this interactive channel slider, you must set the channel box to use standard or invisible manipulators (Channels > Settings then select Standard Manips or Invisible Manips). If you select Channels > Settings > No Manips, you cannot enter attribute values with the mouse. You must enter the values for these attributes in the text boxes. When you select Channels > Settings > Invisible Manips, the cursor changes to a left and right pointing arrow when you press the middle mouse button, indicating that you are using the channel slider to change values. You can set how quickly the channel slider responds when you drag. Select Channels > Settings, then select Slow, Medium, or Fast or switch these settings using the buttons at the top of the Channel Box.
Slow
Medium
Fast
You can also specify whether the attribute values change linearly as you drag (values increase steadily as you drag), or hyperbolically (values increase more sharply as you drag). Turn off Channels > Settings > Hyperbolic to change the values linearly, and on to change values hyperbolically, or switch the settings using the buttons at the top of the Channel Box.
Linear
Hyperbolic
Entering values for attributes with a pop-up menu

For some attributes, a pop-up menu appears when you click the mouse in its text box. You can choose from the selections displayed by dragging the mouse over the desired choice.

Using the Channel Box Example Suppose you add the predefined Node State attribute to a NURBS spheres keyable attributes. (You can do this with Window > General Editors > Channel Control.) Node State appears in the list of attributes below the transform attributes.
If you click in the Node State text box, a pop-up menu appears with six choices: Normal, HasNoEffect, Blocking, Waiting-Normal, Waiting-HasNoEffect, WaitingBlocking. Drag the mouse over the desired selection. For information on these states, see "Changing node behavior" on page 230.
Setting keys for attributes from the Channel Box

You can set a key for one or more object attributes in the Channel Box. For details about keys, see Using Maya: Animation. To set a key for one attribute: 1 2 Select the object. Click the timeline frame number where you want to set the key.
Click the timeline
Click the attribute name to select it. For example, click Translate X.
Type the value of the attribute and press Enter. For example, enter 10 and press Enter.
In the Channel Box, choose Channels > Key Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Key Selected. This sets the key for the object attribute value you specified. Setting a key for all attributes
Click the timeline frame number where you want to set the key.

Using the Channel Box 2 3 Enter values for the desired attributes in the Channel Box. Press Enter after entering the attributes. In the Channel Box, select Channels > Key All. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Key All. This sets the key for all the object attribute values displayed in the Channel Box.
Note You can key the same attribute value for two or more objects. Select the objects, click the frame, enter the value in the text box, then select Channels > Key Selected. You can also key multiple attribute values for multiple objects. Follow the instructions in the previous paragraph, only select several attribute text boxes using Ctrl- or Shift-click before typing the numerical entry. To copy keyed attribute values: 1 2 3 Select the object. In the Channel Box, select the desired attributes. (You can select either the attribute name, or the attribute text boxes.) Select Channels > Copy Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Copy Selected. 4 5 Select the attributes you want to paste the keyframed values to. Select Channels > Paste Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Paste Selected.
Setting breakdown keys for attributes from the Channel Box

Breakdowns are a type of key that maintains a proportional relationship with adjacent keys. You can set a breakdown key for an attribute from the Channel Box. For information about breakdowns, see Using Maya: Animation. To set a breakdown for selected attributes: 1 2 3 4 5 Select the object. Click the timeline frame number where you want to set the breakdown. Select the attributes you want to set breakdowns for. Enter the values of the attributes. Select Channels > Breakdown Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Breakdown Selected.

Using the Channel Box To set breakdowns for all attributes: 1 2 3 4 Select the object. Click the timeline frame number where you want to set the breakdowns. Enter the values of the attributes. In the Channel Box, select Channels > Breakdown All. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Breakdown All.
Breaking connections from the Channel Box

In the Channel Box, the text box for an attribute that is connected to an expression, key, or other attribute (for example texture attribute) is displayed in a different color, depending on your color settings. To break a connection: 1 2 3 Select the object. In the Channel Box, select the connected attribute (click the attribute name or text box). Select Channels > Break Connections. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Break Connections.
Locking attribute values from the Channel Box

You can lock an attribute value to avoid accidentally changing it later. To lock an attribute: 1 2 3 4 Select the object. In the Channel Box, click the attribute name. If you need to set the attribute value before locking it, type a value and press Enter. In the Channel Box, select Channels > Lock Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Lock Selected. This locks the value. The Channel Box displays locked attributes with a gray background. (This color may not be visible while the text box is selected.) When youve locked an attribute, you cannot change its value in the Channel Box, the workspace, or elsewhere. You must unlock the attribute to change its value.

Tip You can lock two or more attributes at the same time. Ctrl- or Shift-click the attribute names to select them, then select Channel > Lock Selected (or right-click the attribute names and select Lock Selected). To unlock an attribute: 1 2 3 Select the object. In the Channel Box, click the attribute name. In the Channel Box, select Channels > Unlock Selected. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Unlock Selected.
Launching the Expression Editor from the Channel Box

You can launch the Expression Editor for the attribute selected in the Channel Box. To start the Expression Editor: In the Channel Box, select Channels > Expressions. or Right-click the attribute name or text box and select Expressions. The Expression Editor appears. See Using Maya: Expressions for details on its use.
Linking attributes from the Channel Box

Maya has a special type of key called a driven key that links one attribute value to another. When you create a driven key, you specify a driver attribute value and a driven attribute value. The value of the driven attribute is locked to a corresponding value of the driver attribute. You can link attributes from the Channel Box by selecting the attribute and then selecting Channels > Set Driven Key (or by right-clicking the attribute name or text box and selecting Set Driven Key). For details, see Using Maya: Animation.
Modifying an objects history (inputs)

Use the INPUTS component of the Channel Box to modify an objects construction history. Since all objects in Maya can be created with History On, you can change initial parameters after the fact. In the following example, we change the objects radius from 0.5 to 0.8, its height from 1 to 2, and its X, Y, and Z subdivisions from 20, 1, and 8 to 18, 2, and 5, respectively. To modify an objects history: 1 Select the object you want to modify.

Click here to display the boxes
Type the new information in the respective boxes and press Enter. Each time you change part of the objects history, Maya changes the object.
3 4
To return to the original setting for Subdivision Z, select Edit > Undo or press Ctrl-Z. The object returns to its original scale for Subdivision Z. Repeat for the other boxes.

Using the Outliner
USING THE OUTLINER

You can use the Outliner to do these tasks: Examine the structure and components of the scene. See "Navigating the Outliner" on page 251. Display shape nodes, connections, and attributes. See "Displaying shape nodes" on page 252. Make an object the child of a parent object. A child adopts attribute changes made to the parent. See "Parenting objects" on page 254. Select and rename an object. See "Selecting and renaming objects" on page 256. Reorder nodes. Reordering a nodes position in the Outliner affects Mayas evaluation order for the object. See "Reordering nodes" on page 257.
Tip If your scene has many objects or it contains character skeletons, consider using the Hypergraph instead of the Outliner. The Hypergraph displays the scene hierarchy in a graphical format thats more convenient for complex scenes. See Chapter 10, Using the Hypergraph. You can open the Outliner in its own window or in a workspace panel. If you display it in a workspace panel, you see the Maya user interface and the Outliner at the same time without having to reposition the windows. To open the Outliner in its own window: From the menu bar or Hotbox, select Window > Outliner. The Outliner opens.
Menu bar
Scene hierarchy
Scale and move the window as needed. To open the Outliner in a workspace panel: From a workspace panel, select Panels > Panel > Outliner.

Using the Outliner Outliner panel items The Outliners menu bar selections control what types of objects and other items are displayed in the scene hierarchy. A scene hierarchy is sometimes referred to as a DAG (for Directed Acyclic Graph). The Outliner lists invisible objects, such as the perspective, top, front, and side cameras, in blue text. In a new, empty scene, the Outliner lists only these objects and the default light and object sets. As you add objects to the scene, they appear in the Outliner.
Understanding scene hierarchy terminology

A common technique in modeling, rendering, and animating is to work with objects in a hierarchical relationship. To work with a hierarchy you must understand the terminology for describing the relationship of objects. We use the following figure to define common hierarchy terminology:
Parent
An object or other item that controls attributes of one or more children. A parent can also be the child of another parent. In the figure, InnerSolarSystem is a parent of Sun. Sun is a parent of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Earth is a parent of Moon.
Child
An object whose attributes are controlled by its parent. A child can be the parent of other children. A child is connected to its parent by an indented right angle line. Sun is a child of InnerSolarSystem. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are children of Sun. Moon is a child of Earth.
Node
A parent, child, or independent object or item. InnerSolarSystem, Sun, Moon, persp, top, and all other entries in the example are nodes.
Hierarchy
The arrangement of all connected nodes that make up a scene or object. The scene hierarchy is made of all nodes in the figure. The Earth hierarchy consists of Earth and Moon.
Transform node
A node that contains an objects transformation attributesvalues for its translation, rotation, and scale. It also holds information on any parent-child relationships it has with other nodes. Transform nodes are also called DAG objects.

Using the Outliner InnerSolarSystem, Sun, Moon, and all other entries in the example are transform nodes.
Shape node
A node that holds an objects geometry attributes or attributes other than the objects transform node attributes. A shape node is always a child of a transform node. Shape nodes do not appear in the Outliner by default. To display shape nodes, see "Displaying shape nodes" on page 252.
Navigating the Outliner

As you examine a scene with many objects, you must scroll or expand the Outliner panel. Youll also need to expand or collapse the display of nodes. You expand a node to see the child node below it. You collapse a node to simplify your view of the hierarchy. To expand a node: Click the plus sign ( ) to its left. The plus sign ( ) changes to a minus sign ( ). To collapse a node: Click minus sign ( ) to its left. The minus sign ( ) changes to a plus sign ( ). Note that Hierarchies become highlighted if they are collapsed but contain an item that is selected. To expand a nodes entire hierarchy: Shift-click the plus sign ( ) to its left. The plus sign ( ) changes to a minus sign ( ). If your scene has many objects in a complex hierarchy, you might need to expand many nodes to find a child. To find the node quickly, you can select the object in the workspace and choose a menu entry to expand all nodes necessary to list the object.
Tip To select Outliner menus more conveniently from a pop-up menu, click the right mouse button in the Outliner window. To split the Outliner window: You can split the Outliner window in order to see either end of a long list. To split the window, click the separator at the bottom of the window and drag it up. Restore full display by dragging the separator back to the bottom. As visual cue, moving your cursor over the separator bar changes it to: (UNIX) or (Windows).
Drag the separator bar to split the outliner

Using the Outliner
Displaying shape nodes

By default, the Outliner displays only DAG objects in the scene. DAG objects are transform nodes. You can also display shape nodes, the nodes that hold an objects geometry attributes or attributes other than the objects transform node attributes. To display shape nodes: In the Outliner, turn on Display > Shapes. Example Suppose you select Create > NURBS Primitives > Sphere to create a sphere. Maya creates a transform node and a shape node. If you turn on Display > Shapes and expand the nurbsSphere1 node, the shape node appears underneath.
Maya gives the nodes the default names shown in the figure. The nurbsSphere1 is the transform node; nurbsSphereShape1 is the shape node. If you rename the transform node, for example, as Bubble, Maya renames the shape node BubbleShape. If you rename the shape node, Maya does not rename the transform node. Maya doesnt transmit a childs attribute changes up to its parent.
Note The Display and Show menu settings are saved with a scene file. The menu settings are not saved when you open a new or different scene.
Displaying attributes
You can display attributes of the nodes shown in the Outliner. To simplify the Outliners appearance, you can also limit the display of attributes to the following categories: keyable attributes translate, scale, and rotate attributes attributes connected to an animation curve or expression attributes connected to any controlling node To display all attributes: 1 Select Display > Attributes (Channels) to turn it on. (Make sure you are not showing only selected items by selecting Show > Show All.) A plus symbol ( ) appears to the left of each node. 2 Click ( ) to display the nodes attributes. The ( ) changes to a minus symbol ( ) when the nodes attributes are expanded. You can click the minus symbol to collapse the attributes.

Using the Outliner Some attributes also appear with ( ) to the left. These are compound attributes consisting of two or more attributes. Click ( ) for a compound attribute to see its component attributes. For example, the compound Translate attribute is made of Translate X, Translate Y, and Translate Z attributes. You cant use the Outliner to change attributes values. You can set them in the Channel Box, Attribute Editor, or Attribute Spreadsheet. Note also that you use those tools to set the value of noncompound attributes only. You can set compound attributes (to set the component attributes) only with MEL commands.
Tips To open the Attribute Editor for a node, double-click the icon beside the node name. You can double-click a noncompound attribute to start the Expression Editor with the attribute automatically selected. To display only keyable attributes: 1 2 Select Display > Attributes (Channels) to turn it on. Select Show > Attributes > Keyable to turn it on. To display only translate, scale, and rotate attributes: 1 2
Rotate Scale Translate
Select Display > Attributes (Channels) to turn it on. Select Show > Attributes and turn on one of these: Displays only Rotate attributes. Displays only Scale attributes. Displays only Translate attributes. Displays only Scale, Rotate, and Translate attributes.
Scale Rotate Translate
Click ( ) to expand the compound Translate, Rotate, or Scale attributes into the component attributes. For example, if you expand the compound Translate attribute, the Outliner displays Translate X, Translate Y, and Translate Z attributes. To display only attributes connected to a controlling node:
1 2 3
Select Display > Attributes (Channels) to turn it on. Click ( ) to display the nodes attributes. Select Display > Connected to turn it on. This displays only the attributes whose value is connected to the following types of controlling nodes:
keys set driven key constraint motion path USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 253

Using the Outliner expression any other direct connection Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere named Ball and a NURBS cone named Cone. You write an expression to assign the value of Balls translateY attribute to Cones translateY attribute. If you select Cone, turn on Display > Attributes (Channels) and Display > Connected, then expand Cone and the Translate attribute, the Outliner displays the following:
Only connected attributes are displayed in the list of attributes
To display only attributes connected to anim curves or expressions: Select Show > Attributes and turn on one of these:
Driven by Anim Curve
Displays only attributes with an animation curve. This includes attributes animated with keys, set driven keys, constraints, and motion paths.
Driven by Expression
Displays only attributes controlled by expressions. To display all attributes again: Select Show > Attributes > Clear Below.
Displaying specific types of nodes

To simplify the Outliners appearance, you can limit node display to various categories. To display only specific types of nodes: 1 2 Turn on Display > Shapes or Display > DAG Objects Only, as appropriate. Select Show > Objects > and the type of node. To display all nodes again: Select Show > Objects > Clear Below.
Parenting objects
You can make an object the child of a parent object. The child adopts some or all attribute changes made to the parent. For example, suppose you animate a planet to orbit the center of the workspace. If you make a moon the child of the planet, it follows the motion of the planet.

Using the Outliner Though the moon is the child of the planet, you can also give the moon motion thats independent of the planet. For example, you can make it orbit the planet. If you later change the orbiting motion of the planet, the moon continues to follow the planets motion, but stills retains its original orbiting motion. To control multiple objects with one node, you can also create an empty group and make several objects its children. By grouping objects under one node, you can move, shade, apply texture, and do many other actions to all the objects by working with the group node. Example
BackTire Tires Tires FrontTire 1. Create original objects. 2. Create empty node and name it Tires. 3. Group objects under Tires.
BackTire FrontTire 4. Move, rotate, shade Tires.
To parent an object in the Outliner: 1 Make sure both objects are visible in the Outliner. If you cant see both nodes at the same time even after maximizing and scrolling the Outliner, use Edit > Parent in Mayas main menu bar. In the Outliner, Ctrl-click the children first, then Ctrl-click the parent, then select Edit > Parent. 2 In the Outliner, use the middle mouse button to drag the child node onto the parent node.
Use the middle mouse button to drag Moon onto Planet
Moon is now a child of Planet
To parent several objects to a new group node: 1 2 3 4 From the main menu bar, choose Create > Empty Group. A new group node appears in the Outliner named null1. This node is an invisible, empty object. Use the middle mouse button to drag an object node onto the null1 node. The object becomes a child of the null1 node. Repeat this step for other objects to be children of the group. Rename the null1 node to something more meaningful. For example, you might rename a group with four flower petals as flower. The Outliner displays the objects parented to the group node.

Using the Outliner
If you modify the group node attributes, its corresponding members attributes are also modified. For example, if you decrease the Y scale attribute for a flower group node, the Y scale attributes of the four petals decrease also. To break the relationship between parent and child: 1 2 Select the child. From the Maya main menu bar, select Edit > Unparent.
Prefixing hierarchy names

You can give the same prefix to all objects within a hierarchy. For example, if you select a parent object and give it a prefix, all objects under that parent will now have the same prefix name. To assign prefix hierarchy names: 1 2 3 Select the parent. From the Maya main menu bar, select Modify > Prefix Hierarchy Names. Enter a prefix name in the Prefix Hierarchy window and click OK.
Selecting and renaming objects

You can select and rename objects and other nodes in the Outliner. Selecting an object in the Outliner is useful when the workspace is crowded with objects. You can give two nodes the same name, but only if each has a different parent (as in the following example).
To select an object: 1 2 Scroll to find the node that represents the object or component. Click the node to select it. The node is highlighted in the scene to indicate it is selected. To select a set: Select Display > Select Set Members. The set members are selected in the Outliner and in the workspace.

Using the Outliner To deselect an object: Click an empty spot in the Maya workspace. (You can also click below the last item in the Outliner.) When you deselect a node, its highlighting turns off. To rename an object: 1 2 Double-click the name of the object in the Outliner. Enter the name in the text box.
Reordering nodes
You can automatically sort the nodes or you can reorder the position of nodes in the Outliner. For example, to make the nodes Outliner position correspond to its spatial position in the workspace. Be aware that reordering an objects position in the Outliner might may affect its behavior or appearance in your scene. Reordering a nodes position in the Outliner affects Mayas evaluation order for the object. Maya evaluates objects as listed from top to bottom in the Outliner. For example, Maya typically renders nodes in the order they appear in the Outliner. Changing this order changes their rendering order. However, if a node has transparency, Maya puts the node in a delayed render queue. Maya renders objects in the queue after all opaque objects. To sort nodes in the Outliner: Select Display > Sort Order and then select a sort order type.
Scene Hierarchy Alphabetical Within Type
Displays objects in the order of the scene hierarchy. Displays objects in alphabetical order by DAG object name. To reorder a node in the Outliner: Use the middle mouse button to drag the node to another position. As you drag, a horizontal line appears in the Outliner that indicates where the dragged node will be positioned. Release the mouse button at the desired position. Example Suppose you created a scene containing several of the solar systems planets, including earth. As you add each planet, the Outliner adds a node representing the planet. Maya puts each new node in the Outliner below existing nodes. The location of the planet nodes in the Outliner might not represent the spatial relationship of the planets in the workspace as in this example:

Limiting the information shown in editors Here, earth sits further from mercury than mars. In the actual solar system, and in your workspace, this is not true. To make the Outliner reflect the positioning of the earth in the workspace, use the middle mouse button to drag the earth above mars. Maya positions earth below venus and above mars.
LIMITING THE INFORMATION SHOWN IN EDITORS

You can limit which information shows in the Outliner, Hypergraph, Graph Editor, Dope Sheet, and Relationship Editor. Each of these editors has a Text Filter box and Show menu (except the Dope Sheet, which has only the Show menu). With these controls, you can limit the display to the following: items containing specified text (for example, type spot* to show items beginning with spot) object types (Geometry, NURBS Objects, Polygon Objects, Subdiv Objects, Cameras, Joints, IKHandles, Characters, Sets, Lights, Materials, Textures, Renderable Objects, Shading Groups, Partitions) attribute types (Hidden, Driven by Anim Curve, Driven by Expression, Keyable, Rotate, Scale, Translate, Scale Rotate Translate)
Filter on/off icon
Text Filter box
For details, see the next topic, "Limiting the display" on page 259. Also, using the Show menu, you can also do the following: "Showing all items not currently displayed" on page 260 "Storing your restrictions" on page 260 "Controlling display of auxiliary nodes" on page 262

Limiting the information shown in editors
Limiting the display

You can limit the amount of information shown in the Outliner, Hypergraph, Graph Editor, and Relationship Editor by selecting the object types and attribute types you want shown. You can show items containing specified strings. You can also store your selections for later use. When you limit the display in the editor, the icon beside the Text Filter box changes.
All objects and attributes show Filtered display (only objects and attributes of selected types or containing specified text show)
When you have a filter active, you can revert to showing all objects by clicking the filtered display icon ( ).
Limiting the display to items containing specific text

Use the Text Filter box to limit the display to all objects and attributes with names containing the text string you type. Type the string in the box and click Enter. This box is case sensitive. For example, typing nurbs will yield different results than typing NURBS. Use the asterisk (*) wildcard to match any number of characters in the string. For example, to show all items with names starting with nurbs, type nurbs* in the text filter box and press Enter. Use the question mark (?) wildcard to match a single character. For example, to show items bodyFur and bodyfur (remember, the box is case sensitive), type body?ur and press Enter.
Limiting the display to selected objects

You can limit the display to any combination of the following objects: Geometry, NURBS Objects, Polygon Objects, Subdiv Objects, Cameras, Joints, IKHandles, Characters, Sets, Lights, Materials, Textures, Renderable Objects, Shading Groups, and Partitions. To limit the display to objects of a specified type: Select Show > Objects, then select the items you want to display (turn them on). Only the items you select will display. If you do not want an object type to show, turn it off. To clear the list so that no restrictions are placed on what displays (in effect, you are removing the object filter), select Show > Objects > Clear Below.
Limiting the display to selected attributes

You can limit the display to any combination of the following attributes: Hidden, Driven by Anim Curve, Driven by Expression, Keyable, Scale, Rotate, Translate, and Scale Rotate Translate. In the Relationship Editor you can limit the display of attributes of a specific type when character editing only. In the Outliner, you can limit the display of attributes of a specific type only if Display > Attributes (Channels) is turned on. You cannot limit the attribute display in the Hypergraph. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 259

Limiting the information shown in editors To limit the display of attributes of a specified type: Select Show > Attributes, then select the items you want to display (turn them on). Only the items you select will show. If you do not want an attribute type to show, turn it off. To clear the list so that all attributes display (in effect, you are removing the attribute filter), select Show > Attributes > Clear Below.
Limiting the display of object or attribute types based on the selected items
Instead of limiting the display using the Objects and Attributes menus, you can limit the display to all objects or attributes of the same type as the selected (highlighted) objects or attributes by selecting Show > Show Selected Type(s). You must first select objects or attributes (in the Outliner or workspace) to make this command available.
Applying custom display restrictions

If you saved your display restrictions (see "Storing your restrictions" on page 260), it appears on the Show > Objects menu or Show > Attributes menu, (depending on the type of items selected). To apply it, simply select it from the appropriate menu (turn it on).
Showing all items not currently displayed

You can quickly turn the display to show all items that are not currently displayed. To do this, select Show > Invert Shown to turn it on.
Showing all items (removing restrictions)

To quickly remove all restrictions so that all objects and attributes show, click the filtered display icon ( ) or select Show > Show All.
Storing your restrictions

You can store your display restrictions for later use. Restrictions that you store in one editor are available for use in the other editors. To store your restrictions: 1 2 3 In the Outliner or workspace, select the objects and attributes that are the type you want to show. Select Show > Show Selected Type(s). The editor shows all objects and attributes that are the same type as the selected objects. Select Show > Create Entry. The Create Entry window opens.

If you selected only objects in step #1, only the Objects section appears on the Create Entry window. Similarly, if you selected only attributes in step #1, only the Attributes section appears. 4 5 In the Objects section (if there is one), turn Entry name on and type a name for the selection list in the adjacent box. This name will appear on the Show > Objects menu. In the Attributes section (if there is one), turn Entry name on and type a name for the selection list in the adjacent box. This name will appear on the Show > Attributes menu. Click Save.
Deleting stored restrictions

Deleting a stored restrition removes it from the Show > Objects or Show > Attributes menu. To delete a stored restriction: 1 Select Show > Delete Entry. The Delete Entry window opens.
To delete from the Objects list, click the Objects tab, then click the entries you want to delete. or To delete from the Attributes list, click the Attributes tab, then click the entries you want to delete.
Click Delete.

Controlling display of auxiliary nodes

By default, there are several auxiliary nodes, such as unitConversion, that do not show in the Outliner and other editors. These nodes are hidden to reduce clutter. If you need them to show or you want to hide additional nodes, you can use the Show menu selections: Show Auxiliary Nodes and Auxiliary Nodes. Your Auxiliary Node settings are saved immediately in your preferences, so they affect all editors. They are loaded whenever you start Maya. To show a hidden auxiliary node: To see all auxiliary nodes, choose Show > Show Auxiliary Nodes. or To selectively show an auxiliary node, choose Show > Auxiliary Nodes to open the Auxiliary Nodes window. From the list of auxiliary nodes, select the ones you want to show and click Remove From List.
To hide a node: 1 2 Choose Show > Auxiliary Nodes to open the Auxiliary Nodes window. Select a node from the Available Node Types list and click Add To Hide List (Above).
Note Select Options > Auxiliary Nodes are Hidden in Editors to hide the node types in the top list. This is the same as turning off Show > Show Auxiliary Nodes. Select Options > All Nodes are Shown in Editors to show all node types in Maya editors.
10
USING THE HYPERGRAPH

The Hypergraph shows a graphical relationship between components of a scene. You can display two kinds of graphs in the Hypergraph: the scene hierarchy or dependency graph. The scene hierarchy shows the ordered arrangement of objects, lights, cameras, and other items that make up a scene. Its similar to the Outliner but has more features and visual aids for working with the hierarchy of scene components. Heres an example of scene hierarchy:
A dependency graph shows the architectural connections between Maya entities that input and output data. For example, it shows connections between shading group elements that create an objects material appearance.
OPENING THE HYPERGRAPH

You can open the Hypergraph in its own window or in a workspace panel. Displaying it in a workspace panel has the advantage of letting you see the Maya user interface and the Hypergraph without having to reposition the windows.
USING THE HYPERGRAPH | 10

Opening the Hypergraph To open the Hypergraph in its own window: From the menu bar or Hotbox, select Window > Hypergraph. The Hypergraph opens.
Menu bar Tool bar
Scale and move the window as needed. To open the Hypergraph in a workspace panel: From a workspace panel, select Panels > Panel > Hypergraph. When you display the Hypergraph the first time, the scene hierarchy displays. In subsequent displays of the Hypergraph, the scene hierarchy or dependency graph appears, depending on which was displayed the previous time you closed the window. Note that a scene hierarchy is also referred to as a DAG (directed acyclic graph). If you display the scene hierarchy for a new, empty scene, youll see no graph. If you display the scene hierarchy, invisible objects such as the perspective, top, front, and side cameras do not appear in the graph by default. In contrast, the Outliner shows the default cameras unless you choose not to display them.
Note Unless instructions in this chapter state otherwise, make all menu choices from the Hypergraph menu bar. Hypergraph menu bar The Hypergraph menu bar has entries for working with the scene hierarchy or dependency graph. Hypergraph tool bar The tool bar has icons for commonly used Hypergraph menu bar selections. To see the selection that an icon represents, move the mouse pointer over the icon. If po-up help is turned on (Help > Popup Help), the name of the selection appears in a yellow pop-up. Otherwise, look in the help line at the bottom of the Maya window. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 264

Understanding scene hierarchy terminology
UNDERSTANDING SCENE HIERARCHY TERMINOLOGY

A common technique in modeling, rendering, and animation is to work with objects in a hierarchical relationship. To work with a hierarchy you must understand the terminology for describing the relationship of objects. The following figure illustrates a scene hierachy.
Parent
An object or other item that controls attributes of one or more children. A parent can also be the child of another parent. In the figure, InnerSolarSystem is a parent of Sun. Sun is a parent of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Earth is a parent of Moon.
Child
An object having attributes controlled by its parent. A child can be the parent of other children. A child in the graph is connected to its parent by an indented right angle line. Sun is a child of InnerSolarSystem. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are children of Sun. Moon is a child of Earth.
Node
A parent, child, or independent item. This refers generally to any box in the graph. InnerSolarSystem, Sun, Moon, and all other boxes in the graph are nodes.
Subnode
Any node below another node in the hierarchy. The subnodes of InnerSolarSystem are Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, and Mars. The subnodes of Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, and Mars. The subnode of Earth is Moon. Moon and Mars have no subnodes.
Branch Hierarchy
All nodes along a path from a parent to child. A branch from Sun to Moon includes Sun, Earth, and Moon. The arrangement of all connected nodes that make up a scene or object. The scene hierarchy is made of all nodes in the figure. The Earth hierarchy consists of Earth and Moon.

Using the scene hierarchy
Transform node
A node that contains an objects transformation attributesvalues for its translation, rotation, scale, and so on. It also holds information on parent-child relationships it has with other nodes. InnerSolarSystem, Sun, Moon, and all other boxes shown in the example are transform nodes.
Shape node
A shape node holds an objects geometry attributes or attributes other than the objects transform node attributes. Shape nodes do not appear in the scene hierarchy by default. To display shape nodes, see "Displaying special nodes and connections" on page 268. The scene hierarchy and the dependency graph display animated nodes as slanted boxes. If you animate a node with an expression, it displays a regular rectangle rather than a slanted box. All other animation techniques display a slanted box. Specifically, a slanted box indicates that the node has a param curve connected to it.
USING THE SCENE HIERARCHY

You can use the scene hierarchy to: display special nodes and connections You can display shape, invisible, and underworld nodes. You can also show expression, constraint, and deformer connections that link nodes. See "Displaying special nodes and connections" on page 268. make an object the child of a parent object (known as parenting) A child adopts attribute changes made to the parent. See "Parenting objects" on page 270. reorder the position of nodes (see "Rearranging scene hierarchy nodes" on page 272) create a free-form graph of the hierarchy that suits your visual preference (see "Creating a free-form hierarchy" on page 273) select, rename, and hide objects, and edit attributes of an object (see "Editing objects" on page 286) examine the structure of the scene The Outliner lists the components of a scene as an indented list. The Hypergraph shows the relationship of the objects of the scene graphically. See "Altering the view of a graph" on page 289 for details on navigating the view of the graph.
Expanding scene hierarchy nodes

As you examine a scene hierarchy, you can expand or collapse the display of nodes. Collapsing nodes is helpful for lessening clutter in a hierarchy. You expand a node to see nodes below it. For a selected node, you can display: subnodes one level below the node all subnodes below a node When you know where a node is in the workspace but youre not sure of its graph position, you can select the node in the workspace and expand all nodes necessary to display and highlight it.

Using the scene hierarchy A selected node is yellow in the scene hierarchy.
Note A node name followed by ... is abbreviated in the graph. See "Dollying the view" on page 289 to learn how to view the full name. For other graph viewing techniques, see "Altering the view of a graph" on page 289. To expand a node: 1 Select the node. If the node is not visible in the scene hierarchy, select it in the workspace or Outliner. 2 Select: Edit > Expand to expand a node to one level below. Edit > Expand All to expand all subnodes below a node. Edit > Show Selected to display and expand a node not visible in the graph.
A red arrow appears below a node if its collapsed.
Expanded node
To collapse a node: 1 2 Select the node. Select Edit > Collapse.
Tips To expand or collapse a node, double-click it. To quickly select Hypergraph menus, click the right mouse button in an empty part of the Hypergraph window. To display context-sensitive Hypergraph menus, move the mouse over a node and click the right mouse button. These menus are also available from the main Hypergraph menus, but they apply only to the selected node. For details on navigating the view of the graph, see "Altering the view of a graph" on page 289.

Displaying special nodes and connections

You can display shape, invisible, and underworld nodes in the scene hierarchy. You can also display expression, constraint, and deformer connections that link different nodes.
Shape, invisible, and underworld nodes

By default, the scene hierarchy does not display shape nodes, invisible nodes, or underworld nodes. It displays only transform nodesnodes that hold attributes and other information on an objects transformation and parent-child relationships. A shape node holds an objects geometry attributes or attributes other than the objects transform node attributes. A shape node is a child of a transform node. A transform node has only one shape node. An invisible node is any object you have hidden using Display > Hide from Mayas menu bar. The default cameras top, front, side, and persp are also invisible nodes. An underworld node is a pair of nodes below a shape node. When you create a curve on a NURBS surface, Maya generates an underworld transform node and shape node below the shape node of the surface. The CV positions of underworld nodes have UV coordinates on the surface rather than coordinates in world or local space. To display invisible nodes, object shape nodes, or underworld nodes: Turn on these options: Options > Display > Shape Nodes Options > Display > Invisible Nodes Options > Display > Underworld Nodes Invisible nodes display with the text grayed. Underworld nodes appear only if you also display shape nodes in the graph. A dotted line in the scene hierarchy indicates a connection to an underworld node. Connections to instanced objects are also indicated by dotted lines.
Note Hypergraph option settings are saved with a scene file. The options are not saved for Maya globally. Example Suppose you select Create > NURBS Primitives > Sphere to create a sphere. Maya creates a transform node and a shape node. The spheres shape node holds the mathematical description of the spheres shape. The spheres transform node holds the spheres position, scaling, rotation, and so on. The shape node is the child of the transform node. If you select Options > Display > Shape Nodes in the Hypergraph, the scene hierarchy shows these nodes for the sphere:

Maya gives the nodes the default names shown in the preceding figure. The transform node is nurbsSphere1, the shape node is nurbsSphereShape1. If you rename the transform node, for example, to Bubble, Maya renames the shape node to BubbleShape. If you rename the shape node, Maya does not rename the transform node. Maya doesnt transmit a childs attribute changes up to its parent. Example Suppose you select Create > NURBS Primitives > Sphere to create a sphere. Maya creates a transform node and a sphere node. Suppose you then select Modify > Make Live, then use the Create > CV Curve Tool to draw a curve on the surface of the sphere. If you turn on the display of shape nodes and underworld nodes, the scene hierarchy appears as follows:
Maya gives the nodes the default names shown. The transform node is nurbsSphere1, the shape node is nurbsSphereShape1. The curve1 and curveShape1 nodes are underworld nodes for the curve created on the spheres surface. When a curve-on-surface is hard to select in the workspace because of crowding or complex geometry, you can select it easily in the scene hierarchy with underworld nodes displayed.
Expression, constraint, and deformer connections

You can display color-coded lines in the scene hierarchy that illustrate nodes connected by an expression, constraint, or deformer. To display nodes connected by an expression, constraint, or deformer: Turn on any or all of these options: Options > Display > Expression Connections Options > Display > Constraint Connections Options > Display > Deformer Connections To hide these connections, turn off the appropriate options.

Using the scene hierarchy Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere named Ball and a NURBS cone named Cone. You write an expression to assign the value of Balls translateY attribute to Cones translateY attribute. The expression links the two values. When you move Ball up or down in the workspace (in a Y-axis direction), Cone moves up or down the same amount. If you select Options > Display > Expression Connections, the scene hierarchy displays this:
This line means attributes in the two nodes are connected, for instance, by an expression.
Tip You can change the color-coding of the connection lines and other important entities by selecting Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors from Mayas main menu bar and expanding Hypergraph/Hypershade.
Parenting objects
You can make an object the child of a parent object. The child adopts some or all attribute changes made to the parent. For example, suppose you animate a planet to orbit the center of the workspace. If you make a moon the child of the planet, it follows the motion of the planet. Though the moon is the child of the planet, you can also give the moon motion thats independent of the planet. For example, you can make it orbit the planet. If you later change the orbiting motion of the planet, the moon continues to follow the planets motion, but stills retains its original orbiting motion. To control multiple objects with one node, you can also create an empty group and make several objects its children. By grouping objects under one node, you can move, shade, apply texture, and do many other actions to all the objects by working with the group node. Example
BackTire Tires Tires FrontTire 1. Create original objects. 2. Create empty node and name it Tires. 3. Group objects under Tires.
BackTire FrontTire 4. Move, rotate, shade Tires.

Using the scene hierarchy To parent an object: In the scene hierarchy, use the middle mouse button to drag the child node on the parent node.
Use the middle mouse button to drag Moon onto Planet.
Moon is now a child of Planet.
If the parent node is not visible in the window, drag the child toward it in the direction of the parent. The graph view scrolls as you drag into the Hypergraphs window border. To parent several objects to a new node: 1 2 3 4 From the Maya main menu bar, select Create > Empty Group. A new node appears in the scene hierarchy named null1. This node is an invisible, empty object. Use the middle mouse button to drag an object node onto the null1 node. The object becomes a child of the null1 node. Repeat this step for other objects to be children of the group. Rename the null1 node to something more meaningful. For example, you might rename a group containing four flower petals as flower. See "Renaming an object" on page 287. The scene hierarchy displays the objects parented to the group node:
If you modify the group node attributes, its corresponding members attributes also are modified. For example, if you scale down a flower group node, the four petals scale down also. To break the relationship between parent and child: With the middle mouse button, drag the child node to an empty spot in the workspace.

Rearranging scene hierarchy nodes

You can rearrange the position of nodes in a scene hierarchy to suit your preferences as follows: Move a nodes relative position. Create a free-form scene hierarchy. Display the graph vertically or horizontally. See "Displaying a graph vertically or horizontally" on page 295. Note that Maya updates the scene hierarchy as you modify a scene.
Changing a nodes relative position

You can move a nodes relative position vertically or horizontally in a scene hierarchy. You might want to do this, for example, to make the nodes graph position correspond to its spatial position in the workspace. Be aware that rearranging an objects position in the Hypergraph might alter its behavior or appearance in your scene. Reordering a nodes position in the graph affects Mayas evaluation order for the object. The evaluation order occurs from left to right and top to bottom for a scene hierarchy displayed in automatic layout. For example, Maya typically renders nodes in the order they appear in the scene hierarchy. Changing this order changes their rendering order. If a node has transparency, however, Maya puts the node in a delayed render queue. Maya renders this queue after all opaque objects. To see the evaluation order for a graph currently in free-form layout, select Options > Layout > Automatic Layout. To return to the free-form layout, select Options > Layout > Freeform Layout. To move a node in the graph: Use Ctrl-middle mouse button to drag the node on top of another node. In a horizontal graph, the dragged node replaces the other nodes position. The other nodes position gets pushed to the right. In a vertical graph, the dragged node replaces the other nodes position. The other nodes position gets pushed downward. Example Suppose you created a scene containing several of the solar systems planets, including earth. As you add each planet, the scene hierarchy puts a node representing the planet in the graph. Maya puts each new node in the graph to the right of existing nodes. The location of the planet nodes in the graph might not represent the spatial relationship of the planets in the workspace, as in this example:
Here, Earth sits further from mercury than mars. In the actual solar system and in your workspace, this is not true. To make the graph reflect the positioning of the earth in the workspace, use Ctrlmiddle mouse button to drag the Earth on top of Mars. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 272

Using the scene hierarchy Maya positions the node to the right of Venus and to the left of Mars. Thereafter, youll know where to look for Earth in the scene hierarchy.
Creating a free-form hierarchy

Maya lets you select a free-form layout for the scene hierarchy to suit your node position preferences. By doing so, you can make the graphs appearance resemble the appearance of characters or other complex objects in your scene. This helps you find and select components from the hierarchy more quickly. For example, suppose you modeled a human hand. You can customize the graph so the location of its nodes resembles the arrangement of the joints that represent the fingers and palm:
Important Move as few nodes as necessary. When you drag a node to a new position in the graph, you increase the scenes file size and the Maya processing time needed to work with the scene. When you move a parent node, Maya automatically moves its children with it. Automatically moved children do not increase the file size and processing time. To make a free-form graph: 1 2 Select Options > Layout > Freeform Layout. Drag nodes to the desired positions in the graph. If the spot where you want to put a node is not visible in the window, drag the node past the edge of the window. The window scrolls in the direction you drag. To drag two or more nodes to another position, click the first node, Shift-click the second node and any other nodes, then drag to the desired position. To drag a parent but not its children, Ctrl-Shift-click the node and drag to the desired position.

Using the scene hierarchy To return to the automatically generated layout: Select Options > Layout > Automatic Layout. You can return to your previous free-form graph arrangement by selecting Options > Layout > Freeform Layout. To reset the free-form graph: If you create a free-form graph and you decide you no longer like its appearance, you can reset the graph to the automatic layout. 1 2 Select Edit > Reset Freeform Layout. Click Yes when asked to confirm your selection.
Displaying a background image with a scene hierarchy

You can display a single image of your choice as the background for a scene hierarchy. This is helpful if you want to create a free-form hierarchy that lets you identify and select a characters joints and nodes more easily. For example, suppose you modeled a human character. Suppose further you rendered an image of the character or used a snapshot utility to capture an image of the characters skeleton in the workspace. You can display the image in the background of a free-form hierarchy, then position nodes and joints to match the character skeleton. This helps you identify scene hierarchy components more quickly.

The character skeleton exists behind the scene hierarchy. With this arrangement, you can quickly find nodes, for example, that represents the characters feet and ankles. To import the background image: 1 Switch to freeform layout, if you are not already in it (Options > Layout > Freeform Layout). Note that you can import an image for the free-form layout only. Having a background image for the automatic layout has no practical purpose. The node positions for the automatic layout are fixed. 2 3 4 5 Select View > Load Background Image. A file browser appears. Select and load the image. The image appears in the scene hierarchy. Dolly or track to bring the image into view. Move nodes to positions on top of the image.

Understanding the dependency graph Whenever you display the scene hierarchy in the Hypergraph (in freeform layout), the image appears behind the nodes. To turn the display of the background image off or on: Turn on or off Options > Display > Background Image (in free-form). You can display the image in the background of a free-form hierarchy.
UNDERSTANDING THE DEPENDENCY GRAPH

The dependency graph displays connections between nodes in Maya that input and output data. A dependency graph node can represent an objects geometry, for example, a NURBS sphere. A node can also represent a Maya operation such as a deformer. Inputs and outputs are the connections between nodes, including direction of influence. A dependency graph has no parent-child relationships, only data flow. You can display a dependency graph, for example, to see the data flow between nodes that make up an objects construction history or shading. All nodes in a scene hierarchy also can be displayed in a dependency graph. However, not all nodes in a dependency can be displayed in a scene graph. For example, a NURBS spheres transform and shape nodes appear in a scene graph and therefore can be displayed in a dependency graph. A shading group node or deformer operation node that appears in a dependency graph never appears in a scene hierarchy. A dependency graph node takes input data from one or more other nodes and uses the input to create output data. When you create models, deform objects, animate, process audio, and so on, dependency graph nodes work with the data involved. Although we refer to a dependency graph as a singular graph, be aware you can display two or more independent graphs of connected nodes in the same window. We refer to each independent graph also as a dependency graph. Maya updates the dependency graph as you modify a scene.
USING A DEPENDENCY GRAPH

The dependency graph is a tool for programmers who extend Maya capabilities. If youre an advanced Maya user, youll also find it useful to: examine render node connections (see "Displaying render node connections" on page 277) examine other node connections (see "Displaying upstream and downstream connections" on page 278) disconnect rendering nodes and other nodes (see "Disconnecting nodes in a dependency graph" on page 281) connect rendering nodes and other nodes (see "Connecting nodes in a dependency graph" on page 282) Avoid disconnecting and connecting nodes unless you have an understanding of Mayas architecture. Youll spare yourself frustration tracking down resulting problems. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 276

Using a dependency graph See "Editing objects" on page 286 and "Altering the view of a graph" on page 289 for additional details on working with a dependency graph.
Tip As a new user of the Hypergraph, you might be unsure whether youre looking at the scene hierarchy or a dependency graph. If you see arrows between nodes, youre looking at a dependency graph. If Scene Hierarchy under the Graph menu is grayed, youre looking at the scene hierarchy.
Displaying render node connections

You can show connections to shading groups, materials, textures, and lights. See Using Maya: Rendering for details. To display render node connections: Select one of these options: Rendering > Show Shading Groups Rendering > Show Materials Rendering > Show Textures Rendering > Show Lights Rendering > Show Images Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere, then use the Hypershade to create and assign a Phong shading group to it. Next you use the Hypershade to create a 2D checker texture and assign it to the Phong node. The Hypershade displays the following contents:
The following dependency graph appears when you select Rendering > Show Shading Groups in the Hypergraph.
Connection line

Using a dependency graph The connection lines between nodes show connection direction. The connection line originates at a node that outputs data, and the line points to a node receiving the data as input. The preceding figure shows that the flow of output goes from the phong1SG shading group to the renderPartition. Although you can see most of the same nodes in the Hypershade, the dependency graph shows the nodes in a flow diagram. This makes it easy to see the connections between the nodes that make up a shading group. If you move your mouse pointer over a connection line, small white boxes appear next to the input node and output node. The white box next to an input node shows the nodes name and attribute that receives the input.
checker1.outColor Mouse pointer
phong1.color
The white box next to an output node shows the nodes name and attribute that provides the output. Each node name and attribute is separated by a period, for example, checker1.outColor and phong1.color. In the preceding figure, the outColor attribute of checker1 is output to the color attribute of phong1. In many cases, you must be familiar with Maya internal operation details to understand the node and attribute names you see in the white boxes.
Displaying upstream and downstream connections

You can show upstream and downstream connections to a selected node. An upstream connection is a node that provides input to the selected node. A downstream connection is a node that receives input from the selected node. To see connections to most objects, you must select the shape node of the object rather than the transform node. To select a node and display its connections: 1 Select the node. To select a shape node from the scene hierarchy, make sure Options > Display > Shape Nodes is turned on.
Tip You can select an objects shape node in the scene hierarchy without showing shape nodes. Select the objects transform node, put the mouse pointer in the Maya or Hypergraph window, then press your keyboards down arrow key. The shape node is displayed in the Attribute Editor. Selecting a shape node with this technique is useful for scenes having many nodes, where displaying all shape nodes in the scene hierarchy takes up a lot of panel space. Press the up arrow key to return to the transform node.

Using a dependency graph 2 Select one of the following: Graph > Up and Downstream Connections Graph > Upstream Connections Graph > Downstream Connections When you display upstream connections for a node, you see the chain of nodes that provide input to each other all the way to the selected node. When you display downstream connections for a node, you see the chain of nodes that output to each other, all the way through to the end receiving node. Example Suppose you create a wine glass surface by revolving a NURBS curve. The following dependency graph appears when you select the revolved surfaces shape node and select Graph > Up and Downstream Connections:
Note that the graph is shown with a vertical orientation to make the illustration fit on this page. By default, a dependency graph has a horizontal orientation. See "Displaying a graph vertically or horizontally" on page 295. The connection lines between nodes show connection direction. The connection line originates at a node that outputs data, and the line points to a node receiving the data as input. For information on the connection line colors, see "Connection line colors" on page 280. The example graph shows that a curve provides input to the revolve operation node. The revolve operation generates a revolved shapethe wine glass. The revolved shape is connected to initialShadingGroup, which sets the default color of all geometric shapes created in Maya. If you move your mouse pointer over a connection line, small white boxes appear next to the input node and output node. The white box next to an input node shows the nodes name and attribute that receives the input. The white box next to an output node shows the nodes name and attribute that provides the output. Each node name and attribute is separated by a period. In many cases, you must be familiar with Maya internal operation details to understand the node and attribute names you see in the white boxes.

Using a dependency graph Note that the dependency graph and scene hierarchy display animated nodes as slanted boxes. If you animate a node with an expression, it displays a regular rectangle rather than a slanted box. All other animation techniques display a slanted box. Specifically, a slanted box indicates Ball has a param curve connected to it. Example Suppose you keyframe the translateX attribute of a NURBS sphere named Ball. If you select Balls transform node and display all upstream and downstream connections, this graph appears:
The slanted box indicates Balls transform node has been animated. The graph doesnt indicate which type of animation technique controls the attribute.
Connection line colors

The connection lines are color-coded to indicate the type of attribute that is connecting the nodes. In this case, attribute types are single, double, triple, data, and array. See the following table for an explanation.
Default Color Blue Cyan Green Magenta Red
Attribute Type Single Double Triple Data Array
Example Attributes transform.translateX, makeNurbsSphere.radius file.repeatUV, cameraShape.cameraAperature transform.translate, lambert.color nurbsSurface.create, makeNurbsSphere.outputSurface particleShape.position, particleShape.velocity
These colors are the default. You can change them in the Colors window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors). Also note that a dotted line in the scene hierarchy indicates a connection to an underworld node or an instanced object.
Dragging nodes into a dependency graph

You can drag one or more nodes from the Outliner or Hypershade into the dependency graph to display the dependency graph of the node or nodes. This is ideal for keeping irrelevant nodes out of view when youre creating and assigning rendering nodes. Any dependency graphs previously in the display remain there. 1 To clear out all graphs from the display, select Edit > Clear View.

Using a dependency graph 2 Click Yes to confirm. Note that you can also drag a node into the dependency graph from any part of Maya that lets you drag icons. To drag the node into the dependency graph: Use the middle mouse button to drag the node or nodes into the Hypergraph panel.
Disconnecting nodes in a dependency graph

You can use the dependency graph to disconnect nodes. To disconnect nodes: 1 2 Click the connection line representing the connection in the dependency graph. The connection line turns yellow to indicate its selected. Press your keyboards Backspace key. The connection line disappears, indicating you disconnected the connection. To update the graphs layout to display the disconnected nodes more appropriately, select Graph > Layout. Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere named Ball. You then use the Hypershade to create a Phong E material with red color and assign the resulting phongE1SG shading group node to Ball. The Hypershade displays the following contents.
The following dependency graph appears when you select Rendering > Show Shading Groups, then select the phongE1SG node and select Graph > Up and Downstream Connections.
The graph shows that an attribute of the BallShape node (that represents Balls geometry) is input to the phongE1SG shading group node. Ball gets its color from the phongE1SG node. To stop the phongE1SG node from setting Balls color, do the following: 1 2 Click the connection line leading from BallShape to phongE1SG. The connection line turns yellow to indicate its selected. Press the Backspace key on your keyboard. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 281

Using a dependency graph The connection line disappears, indicating you disconnected the nodes. The phongE1SG no longer controls Balls color. Ball keeps its previous shading group attribute values. In other words, it stays red and doesnt become the default gray. If you alter attributes of phongE1SG, though, the changes are not passed to Ball. You can reconnect BallShape to another shading group node to make it control Balls shading. For example, you can use the middle mouse button to drag BallShape from the Outliner onto initialShadingGroup. Balls color becomes the default gray color set in the initialShadingGroup node. Note that each geometric object you create is connected to the initialShadingGroup node, by default, until you connect it to another shading group.
Connecting nodes in a dependency graph

The dependency graph offers convenient ways to connect nodes while you examine the graph. In the dependency graph, you can: launch the Connection Editor launch a window that displays input or output attributes you can connect to connect a nodes default output attribute to a nodes default input attribute To launch the Connection Editor: Use Shift-middle mouse button to drag from an output node to an input node. The Connection Editor opens. The Outputs pane of the Connection Editor displays the dragged node and its attributes. The Inputs pane displays the attributes of the destination node. See Using Maya: Rendering for details on the Connection Editor. To create a default connection: Use the middle mouse button to drag the output node onto the input node. Maya connects the default output attribute from the output node to the default input attribute of the input node. Usually, the default input and output attributes are the attributes you would most likely want to connect. If the attributes arent compatible, no connection occurs and the Connection Editor appears instead. Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere and cone named Ball and Cone. You use the Hypershade to create a Phong E material with red color, and a Blinn material with blue color. You assign the resulting phongE1SG shading group node to Ball, and the blinn1SG shading group to the Cone. The Hypershade displays the following contents:

Using a dependency graph The following dependency graph appears when you select Rendering > Show Shading Groups, select the phongE1SG and blinn1SG shading groups and select Graph > Up and Downstream Connections.
The graph shows ConeShape connected to the blinn1SG shading group, and BallShape connected to the phongE1SG shading group. You can swap the colors of Ball and Cone by reversing their connections to the shading groups. To reverse connections: 1 Use the middle mouse button to drag ConeShape onto phongE1SG. This reconnects the default output attribute of the ConeShape node to the default input attribute of the phongE1SG node. Cone becomes red. Use the middle mouse button to drag BallShape onto blinn1SG. This reconnects the default output attribute of the ConeShape node to the default input attribute of the phongE1SG node. Ball becomes blue.
Tip Select Rendering > Create Render Node to create a new material, texture, or light. You can then connect to the new node using the dependency graph. Example Suppose you create a NURBS sphere named Ball. You then use the Hypershade to create a Phong E material with blue color and assign the corresponding phongE1SG shading group node to Ball to color it blue.
You then create a black and white 2D checker texture, but you havent assigned it to an object.

Using a dependency graph The Hypershade displays the following contents.
To replace Balls blue color with the checker texture, you must use the middle mouse button to drag the texture node onto the shading group. If you select Rendering > Show Shading Groups, youll see the shading groups in the scene, but not the textures.
If you select Rendering > Show Textures, youll see the textures created in the scene, but not the shading groups.
To drag the checker1 texture onto the phongE1SG shading group, you need to display them in the graph at the same time. Do the following steps: 1 While the checker1 node is displayed in the dependency graph, use the middle mouse button to drag the phongE1SG shading group node from the Hypershade into the Hypergraph window. Select the checker1 and phongE1SG nodes and select Graph > Upstream and Downstream Connections. The dependency graph for the phongE1SG node appears as follows.
Use the middle mouse button to drag the checker1 node onto the phongE1SG or PhongE1 node. Maya makes a connection from checker1 to phongE1 and draws a connection line representing the connection:

Using a dependency graph
Ball shows a black and white checkerboard texture, rather than blue color. Turn on Shading > Smooth Shade All and Shading > Hardware Texturing to display shading and textures of objects in your workspace.
4 5
To redraw the graph with better organization of connection lines, select Graph > Layout. Dolly and track to bring the reorganized graph into view:
Move the mouse pointer over the connection line between checker1 and phongE1. White boxes appear next to the nodes. They show that the default output outColor attribute of checker1 connects to the default input color attribute of phongE1. Because of this connection, the black and white checker1 texture provides the material color for the phongE1 node and therefore the phongE1SG shading group. An object connected to the phongE1SG shading group receives the black and white checker1 texture. To launch the display of input or output attributes:
Drag a connection line to a node. If you drag the side of the line closer to the original output node, you display output attributes of the destination node. If you drag the side of the line closer to the original input node, you display input attributes of the destination node. After you drag a connection line to a node, a pop-up menu displays listing either of the appropriate attributes you can connect to, either input or output. The part of the connection line you drag determines whether you display the nodes input or output attributes.
Click the attribute you want to connect to.

Editing objects
Updating the layout of a dependency graph

When you add or connect nodes in a scene, the dependency graph might place the nodes in a position that isnt easy to read. If you dont like the positioning of the added node, you can update the graphs layout to a default reorganized layout. To update the dependency graphs layout: 1 2 Select Graph > Layout. A window opens and asks you to confirm your choice. Click Yes. To return to the scene hierarchy from the dependency graph: Select Graph > Scene Hierarchy.
Clearing the contents of a dependency graph

You can clear the display of the dependency graph from the Hypergraph window. This is helpful when youre looking at connections for one or more nodes, but want to look at unrelated nodes without the clutter of the existing nodes. To clear the contents of the dependency graph: 1 2 Select Edit > Clear View. A window requesting confirmation appears. Click Yes.
Returning to the scene hierarchy

While examining a dependency graph, you can return to the view of the scene hierarchy. To return to the view of the scene hierarchy: Select Graph > Scene Hierarchy.
EDITING OBJECTS
There are several ways to edit objects as youre examining the scene hierarchy or dependency graph. You can: select objects add and select an IK handle rename objects hide objects edit a selected nodes attributes add a render node
Selecting objects
The scene hierarchy and dependency graph offer a convenient way to select objects or other items in a scene. This is useful when items in the workspace are crowded and overlapping.

Editing objects To select an object: 1 Track and dolly the view to find the node that represents the object or component. For example, if your scene has an object named Ball, bring the node representing Ball into view in the scene hierarchy. 2 Click the node to select it. The node changes to yellow.
Click a node to select the object it represents.
To deselect an object: Click an empty spot in the window. When you deselect a node, it becomes gray again.
Adding and selecting an IK handle

In a scene having an IK character with a complex, crowded skeleton, you can use the scene hierarchy to easily add an IK handle to a joint chain. This lets you select the handle easily. To add an IK handle: 1 2 3 In the Animation menu set, select Skeleton > IK Handle Tool. In the scene hierarchy, select the top node of the joint chain. Shift-select the bottom node of the joint chain. Maya creates an end effector and IK handle for the joint chain.
IK handle icon
To select an IK handle: Click the IK handle icon to the right of the end effector node. The IK handle node and icon turn yellow to indicate you selected it. If you make the IK handle node the child of another node, its location might be hard to find in the graph. The IK handle icon to the right of the end effector at the bottom of the joint chain makes it easy to find.
Renaming an object
You can rename an object or other item in the scene hierarchy or dependency graph. You can give two nodes the same name, but only if each has a different parent.

Editing objects
RoadBike
MountainBike
FrontTire
BackTire
FrontTire
BackTire
This is allowed.
Bike
Tire
Tire
This is not allowed.
To rename an object: 1 Right-click on the node representing the object and select Rename from the pop-up menu. A small text box appears in the node:
Enter the new name.
Hiding an object in the workspace

You can use the scene hierarchy or dependency graph to make an object or other item invisible in the workspace. To hide an object: Right-click the node representing the object and select Hide from the pop-up menu. The object disappears from the workspace and the text on the node becomes grayed in the scene hierarchy. To display a hidden object: 1 Select Options > Display > Invisible Nodes. The text on a node representing a hidden object is grayed to indicate its invisible in the workspace.
Invisible node
Right-click on the node representing the object and select Show from the pop-up menu. The object reappears in the workspace.
Editing an objects attributes

After you select a node in the scene hierarchy or dependency graph, you can edit its attributes:

Altering the view of a graph To edit a nodes attributes: 1 2 Select the node in the graph. Select Edit > Attributes. The attributes for the selected node load into the Attribute Editor.
Creating a render node

You can launch the Create Render Node window to create a new material, texture, and light. This is convenient when youre examining the dependency graph for a rendering node. The Create Render Node window is the same window that appears when you select Create > Create Render Node from the Hypershade. To create a render node: Select Rendering > Create Render Node. The Create Render Node window opens. For details, see Using Maya: Rendering.
ALTERING THE VIEW OF A GRAPH

A scene hierarchy or dependency graph covers a lot of screen space for complex scenes. For example, you might create a detailed kinematic character that results in thousands of nodes. The following pages describe general navigation techniques for examining a graph. You can use the techniques with a scene hierarchy or dependency graph, unless otherwise noted.
Tracking the view

You can move the view of the graph up, down, or sideways. To track the view: In the graph view, use Alt-middle mouse button to drag in the desired direction.
Dollying the view

You can enlarge or shrink the view of the graph. To dolly the view: In the graph view, hold down the Alt key and drag the left and middle mouse buttons to the left to shrink the view; drag to the right to enlarge the view.

Altering the view of a graph
Note If you dolly away from a graph, the text in node boxes becomes abbreviated. An ellipses (...) appears to the right of the abbreviation. To read the text, move the mouse pointer over the box. The nodes name appears in a pop-up box. The type of node appears in parentheses next to the node name. For example, if you see Ball (transform) in a box, it means the box represents the node named Ball, which is a transform node.
Dollying a region
You can dolly the view of a selected region by dragging a selection box around it. To dolly a region: Ctrl-Alt-drag a selection box from left to right around the region.
Drag from left to right
The region in the selection box expands to the center of the Hypergraph window.
To dolly away from a selection: Ctrl-Alt-drag a selection box from right to left around the region.

Fitting an entire graph in the window

You can fit an entire graph in the Hypergraph window. This is helpful if you want to see the general organization of nodes. To fit the entire scene graph in the window: Select View > Frame All.
In a large graph, the node names will be too small to read. Youll need to dolly and track this view to read the names.
Centering selected nodes in the window

You can center and expand the view of selected nodes in the Hypergraph window. You might want to do this, for example, when youre looking at a distant, unreadable view of the graph, and you want to read the name of the currently selected object. To center selected nodes in the window: 1 2 Click the node or nodes in the graph. You can also select a node in the Maya workspace or from the Outliner. Select View > Frame Selection. Heres an example.
Selected node

Centering a hierarchy in the window

You can center a selected nodes hierarchy in the Hypergraph window. This is useful when you want to focus on a group of related nodes above and below the selected node. This option works only in the scene hierarchy, not in the dependency graph. To center a hierarchy in the window: 1 2 Click the node in the graph. You can also select a node in the Maya workspace or from the Outliner. Select View > Frame Hierarchy.
Centering a hierarchy branch in the window

You can center the branch descending from a node in the Hypergraph window. This is useful when you want to focus on the related nodes below a selected node. This option works only in the scene hierarchy, not in the dependency graph. To center a branch in the window: 1 2 Click the node in the graph. You can also select a node in the Maya workspace or from the Outliner. Select View > Frame Branch.
Adjusting view transition speed

When you change the panel view of a graph, for example, by selecting View > Previous View, Maya dollies from one view to another instantaneously, by default. You can slow Mayas transition speed between views to make the view change action easier to see. To adjust the transition speed between views: 1 2 Turn on Options > Transitions > Animate Transitions. Select Options > Transitions > and select one of these speeds: 5 Frames 10 Frames 15 Frames 20 Frames 20 Frames dollies slowest, 5 Frames dollies fastest. To return to the default transition speed between views: Turn off Options > Transitions > Animate Transitions.
Setting graph update options

Whenever you add or delete an object, rendering node, or other item in the scene, the Hypergraph updates the scene hierarchy and dependency graph, by default. When you select an object in the scene hierarchy or dependency graph, the object is also selected in the workspace, Outliner, and elsewhere in Maya. Also, when you select an object in the workspace, Outliner, and elsewhere in Maya, the object becomes selected in the scene hierarchy or dependency graph. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 292

Altering the view of a graph These updates slow Maya operation when you work with a complex scene or when youre examining nodes or dragging nodes to new positions in a free-form hierarchy. You can turn off updating to improve operation speed. To turn off graph updates for created nodes: Turn off Options > Update > On Nodes Creation. If you turn this option on later, the graph displays all previously added and deleted nodes. To turn off Hypergraph selection updates: Turn off Options > Update > On Selection.
Undoing a view of a scene hierarchy

As you track, dolly, and make other changes to the view of a scene hierarchy, you may want to return to a previous view. Maya keeps the history of your view changes and lets you return to one or more previous views. After you display a previous view, you can move forward again to other view. To change to a previous view: Select View > Previous View. To see the view before this one, select View > Previous View again. To see the view ahead: Select View > Next View. This works only after you use View > Previous View. To see another view ahead, select View > Next View again.
Using bookmarks for graph views

You can bookmark the view of a graph to return to it later. For instance, suppose you dolly the view to see a group of nodes, then bookmark the view. If you dolly to a different view of the scene, you can select the bookmarked view to return to it. Note that the layout of the nodes in a previously bookmarked view changes when you modify a scene as follows: add or delete objects. reposition nodes in a free-form hierarchy expand or collapse nodes display invisible, shape, or underworld nodes If a node was selected and entirely visible in the view at the time of bookmarking, when you return to the bookmarked view, the node appears in the same position regardless of how you altered the graph. If no node was selected or if a selected node was only partly visible in the view, returning to the bookmarked view shows the previously displayed region in the graph.

Altering the view of a graph Depending on how you altered the graph, the previously displayed nodes might not appear in the bookmarked region anymore. Youll likely need to create a new bookmark. As you add or delete nodes in a scene, Maya updates the layout of the scene hierarchy and dependency graph. Dont be alarmed if you notice a node disappears from a previously bookmarked view of the dependency graph. This is usually the result of Maya conforming with its default graph layout.
Tip You can ensure that a bookmarked view displays a node even after you reposition, add, or delete nodes in the scene. To do so, select the node and make sure its entire outline is visible in the view before creating the bookmark. If you select two or more nodes, the bookmarked view displays the first node selected. To bookmark a view: 1 2 Track and dolly the view as desired. Select Bookmarks > Create Bookmark. The bookmarked view gets a default name, for example, hyperView1. The name appears at the bottom of the Bookmarks menu. To name a view before bookmarking it: 1 2 3 Track and dolly the view as desired. Select Bookmarks > Create Bookmark . The Name Bookmark window opens and prompts for the bookmark name. Enter a bookmark name and click OK. To return to a bookmarked view: Select Bookmarks and the name of the bookmark at the bottom of the menu. For example, select Bookmarks > MonsterHead. To delete a bookmarked view: 1 2 3 Select Bookmarks > Bookmark Editor. The Bookmarks window opens, showing all bookmarks you added. Select the name of the bookmark. Select Edit > Delete Bookmark. The name of the bookmark is deleted. To rename a bookmarked view: 1 2 3 4 Select Bookmarks > Bookmark Editor. The Bookmarks window opens, showing all bookmarks you added. Select the name of the bookmark. Select Edit > Rename Bookmark. The Rename Bookmark window opens and prompts for the bookmark name. Enter the new name and click OK.

Altering the view of a graph You can also rename a bookmark by selecting Bookmarks > name , where name is the name of the bookmark. A prompt window opens and lets you enter the new name.
Displaying a graph vertically or horizontally

The scene hierarchy and dependency graph have a horizontal layout by default.
If you prefer to look at a graph upright, you can change to a vertical layout.
To display the graph vertically: Select Options > Orientation > Vertical. To display the graph horizontally: Select Options > Orientation > Horizontal.
Rebuilding the graphs

If your scene hierarchy or dependency graph doesnt seem up to date, you can rebuild the graphs. For example, if you add an object to a scene and it doesnt appear in the scene hierarchy, rebuild the graphs to make the scene hierarchy aware of the objects presence. To rebuild the graph: Select Graph > Rebuild.

11
SETS AND PARTITIONS

A set is a collection of objects or components. For example, a set might include geometric objects, NURBS CVs, polygonal vertices, lattice points, polygonal facets, or other items. Any item you can select can be in a set. In some instances, Maya creates sets for you as you work with objects. For example, when you add a cluster to several CVs of a NURBS cone, Maya makes a set of the CVs. You can edit and tune such sets to control the area affected by deformation. You can also create a custom set so you can work on its items with a single action. For instance, you can create a set of NURBS objects, then hide or display them as a single entity.
You can edit and tune sets to control deformation of one or more objects.
HOW YOU CAN USE SETS

Here are the ways you can use sets: simplifying selection of objects or components that you regularly select or have difficulty selecting in the workspace assigning objects to shading groups for rendering moving objects from one layer to another adjusting deformer, skin, and flexor deformation adjusting the weight of cluster, cluster flexor, and skin points If you apply a deformer or skin to a geometric object, Maya creates a set for the geometrys CVs, vertices, or points. You can add or remove set members to alter the effect of the deformer or skin. See Using Maya: Character Setup for details on deformers and skins.
SETS AND PARTITIONS | 11

Understanding sets For clusters and cluster flexors, you can apply different weights to the set members to increase or decrease deformations at specified points. For skin, you can apply different weights to the set members to increase or decrease skin deformation around the joints. You can create your own set of objects or components for easier selection and transformation. For instance, suppose you need to repeatedly select the same few CVs around the eye of a cyclops to animate the eye. Rather than struggle to select the CVs with a selection box, you might create a set named cyclops_eye for the CVs, then select the set by clicking the set name in the Relationship Editor. When you create a shading group with the Hypershade, Maya creates a set that represents the shading group. You can work with such sets rather than the Hypershade to conveniently assign shading groups to objects. See Using Maya: Rendering for details on shading groups. When you create a layer, Maya creates a set that represents it. You can work with sets rather than layer menu entries to quickly move members from one layer to another. When you add a field to vertices, CVs, or edit points, Maya creates a set named after the field, for instance, uniformFieldShape1Set. The set members are the vertices, CVs, or edit points to which you added the field. You can add or remove the set members to alter the effect of the field. See Using Maya: Dynamics for details on fields.
UNDERSTANDING SETS
Its easiest to learn about sets by examining the display of the Relationship Editor, the main tool for working with sets. You can launch the Relationship Editor by selecting it from the main menu or with other common techniques such as the Hotbox. For more information about the Relationship Editor, see "Using the Relationship Editor" on page 217. To open the Relationship Editor: From the main Maya menu, choose Window > Relationship Editors > Sets. The Relationship Editor opens.

Understanding sets
Scale and move the window as needed. You can also display the Relationship Editor in a workspace panel by choosing Panels > Panel > Relationship Editor. This lets you see the Maya user interface and the Relationship Editor without having to reposition the windows.
Note Unless instructions in this chapter state otherwise, make all menu choices from the Relationship Editors menu bar.
Sets you create

When you create a set, the Relationship Editor displays the sets name and contents. You can apply an operation to a set to affect all its members. Example Suppose you create three NURBS spheres. You can put the spheres in a set as follows: 1 2 Select the spheres in the workspace, Outliner, or elsewhere. In the Sets panel of the Relationship Editor, select Edit > Create Set. The Relationship Editor displays the newly created set. By default, Maya gives the set the name set1 or something similar. To use your own name rather than the default, choose Edit > Create Set . 3 Click the plus sign (+) next to the set to expand its contents.

Understanding sets
The set contains nurbsSphere1, nurbsSphere2, and nurbsSphere3. Items indented below a set name are its members. You can select the set to do operations on each of its members. 4 To select the objects in the set, click the set name and select Edit > Select Set Members. This selects the three spheres that are members of the set. With the sphere members selected, you can do operations such as: hide them from the workspace view translate, rotate, and scale start the Attribute Editor, so all three spheres are available for editing there Subsequent topics provide more details on working with sets.
Sets created by Maya

A new empty scene has the following default sets: defaultLightSet defaultObjectSet (not used) defaultLayer Shading group sets (initialShadingGroup, initialParticleSE) In addition to the default sets, Maya creates sets automatically when you create shaders. It also creates sets automatically when you create deformers, flexors, or when you bind skin (Deformer and skin point sets).
defaultLightSet
When you add a light to the scene, the light becomes a member of the defaultLight set by default. Maya keeps all lights in these sets, even when you assign a light to another set.
defaultLayer
Each scene has a default display layer that consists of all objects that have not been assigned to any other layer. When you remove an object from a layer, it becomes a member of the default layer.
Shading group sets

A new, empty scene has two shading group sets by default: initialShadingGroup and initialParticleSE. These sets control the default shading of objects added to the scene.

Understanding sets When you add a geometric object to the scene, the object becomes a member of the initialShadingGroup set by default. The shading group colors its members a dull gray. (You can see the default gray color of such objects in the workspace by choosing Shading > Smooth Shade All.) If you create a sphere, for instance, Maya adds the sphere to the initialShadingGroup set.
Member of the set initialShadingGroup
Maya keeps a newly added geometric object in the initialShadingGroup set until you create and assign a different shader to the object. Maya then relocates the object to a set it creates for the shading group you created. You typically wont do anything directly with the initialShadingGroup set. Its for Mayas internal use as you make shading choices. Example Suppose you use the Hypershade to create a Phong material. When you create the node, Maya creates a set named phong1SG. This set represents the Phong shading group. Suppose further you use the Hypershade to assign phong1SG to a geometric object named nurbsSphere1. Maya moves the object from the initialShadingGroup to the phong1SG set.
Member of phong1SG
The object receives its surface shading from the options you set in the Attribute Editor for the phong1SG node. If you were to add a particle object to a scene, it would become part of the initialParticleSE shading group set. This set has the same purpose as initialShadingGroup, only it controls the default shading characteristics of particles rather than geometry. An object can be part of only one shading group setwhether initialShadingGroup, the initialParticleSE, or one you create. By looking at the members of the shading group sets, you can see which objects are shaded by the shading groups youve added to your scene. To try out various shaders on different objects, use the middle-mouse button to drag objects from one shading group set to another. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 301

Understanding sets For more details on working with shading groups, see Using Maya: Rendering.
Deformer and skin point sets

When you attach a deformer to an object, Maya creates a set from the objects points. When you bind skin to a skeleton, Maya creates two or more sets for the skin points attached to the joints. (To see these sets, you must select Deformer Set Editing from the drop-down list in the Relationship Editor.) See Using Maya: Character Setup for details on deformers and skin points. Example Suppose you create a NURBS cone, select several CVs, then choose Deform > Create Cluster from the Animation menu to apply a cluster.
Apply cluster to these points
Maya creates a set named cluster1Set or something similar by default.
Applying a cluster creates a set
The set contains the points in the cone controlled by the cluster. In such sets, you can alter deformations by adding and removing points or by editing point weights of existing members. For example, you can add corresponding points from a newly added cone in the scene. The added points deform with the existing points as you translate, rotate, or scale the cluster handle.

Creating, selecting, and removing sets
CREATING, SELECTING, AND REMOVING SETS

The following topics describe how to create, select, and remove a set. Note that binding skin or adding a deformer or flexor to an object automatically creates one or more sets. You dont need to create a set for such objects. See "Sets created by Maya" on page 300 for details.
Creating sets
You can create a set of geometric objects, CVs, vertices, polygonal faces, or other items. To create a set with a default name: 1 Select the objects or items in the workspace, Outliner, or elsewhere. For example, use the Paint Selection Tool (Edit > Paint Selection Tool) to select CVs. If you dont select any objects, an empty set will be created in the next step. You can add to an empty set later. 2 From Mayas main menu, select Create > Sets > Set. or From the Relationship Editor, select Set Editing from the drop-down list and select Edit > Create Set in the Sets panel. The set appears with a default name in the Relationship Editor. To create a set and name it: 1 Select the objects or items in the workspace, Outliner, or elsewhere.
From Mayas main menu, choose Create > Sets > Set . or From the Relationship Editor, select Set Editing from the drop-down list and select Edit > Create Set from the Sets panel. The Create Set Options window opens.
Enter the name of the set in the Name text box. For example, enter nurbsObjects.

Creating, selecting, and removing sets Other options in the window let you add the set to a partition. See "Adding sets to partitions" on page 309 for details. 4 Click Apply and Close. The set appears with the chosen name in the Relationship Editor. If a set or other item in the scene already has the specified name, the new set name will be appended with a number.
Selecting sets
You can select a set or the contents of a set. You must select a set to remove or rename it. You must select the contents of the set to apply an action to each member of the set. To select a set: 1 In the right panel of the Relationship Editor, click the name of the set and select Edit > Select Highlighted. You can also select the set in the Outliner or Hypergraphs dependency graph view. To display set members in the Outliner so you can select them, turn on Display > Set members. To display sets in the Hypergraphs dependency graph view, select the object shape node associated with the set and choose Graph > Up and Downstream Connections. To select a sets contents only: 1 2 In the left panel of the Relationship Editor, click the name of the set. Select Edit > Select Set Members. This selects the contents of the set, but not the set.
Removing sets
If you are no longer using a set, you can remove it without removing its members. To remove a set, but not its members: 1 2 3 In the Relationship Editor, select Set Editing from the drop-down list. Click the name of the set in the left panel. Select Edit > Delete Highlighted.
Creating sets for quick selection

You can create a set of joints, geometry, CVs, materials, or other items for quick selection in the main menu. You might want to do this, for instance, so you can select different animation characters quickly without having to start the Relationship Editor. This is also useful for selecting items not visible in the workspace, for instance, invisible objects. To create a quick select set: 1 2 Select the objects or items. From the main Maya menu bar, select Create > Sets > Quick Select Set. The Create Quick Select Set window prompts for a set name.

Editing set membership 3 Enter the set name for the items and click OK. This creates the set and puts its name in the cascading menu to the right of Edit > Quick Select Sets in the Maya main menu. To select items in the quick select set: From the main Maya menu bar, select Edit > Quick Select Sets and the name of the set. This selects the items in the set, not the set itself.
EDITING SET MEMBERSHIP

You can add or remove members of a set using the Relationship Editor, the Paint Set Membership Tool, or the Edit Membership Tool. The advantage of the Relationship Editor is that it: includes a formatted list of set members and associated objects displays U and V parameters of NURBS curve and surface CVs lets you edit the weight of cluster, cluster flexor, and skin points For information on using the Relationship Editor to add and remove set members, see "Adding and removing relationship members" on page 221. The advantage of the Paint Set Membership Tool is that you can modify which of a deformable objects points (for example, CVs or vertices) belong to multiple deformer sets by painting the points you want added to, transferred to, or removed from the set, directly on the object. Color feedback makes sets easy to identify. See Using Maya: Character Setup for details. The advantage of the Edit Membership Tool is that you can add and remove set members in the workspace without using another window or panel. This is ideal for quickly altering membership of sets Maya creates for deformers and skin. See Using Maya: Character Setup for details.
ALTERING THE DISPLAY OF SETS

You can display all sets in your scene (including character sets, deformer sets, shading groups, and layers) in the Relationship Editor. For information on the options for narrowing or broadening which sets display, so you spend less time scrolling and expanding sets, see the following: "Displaying relationships and objects" on page 218 "Setting view options" on page 218 "Selecting which relationships and objects show" on page 219

Understanding partitions
UNDERSTANDING PARTITIONS
A partition is a collection of related sets. The sets in a partition can have no overlapping members. As you create shading groups, bind skin, and do a few other tasks, Maya creates partitions. It does this to keep the sets separate where an operation would be hindered by overlapping members. You can also create custom partitions to keep your own sets separate.
Partitions you create

When you use the Create > Sets > Set menu item to create a set, its members can, by default, exist in any other set youve created. In some instances, you might want to prevent two sets from having overlapping members. You can do this by creating a partition and putting the sets in it. Example Suppose youre animating a cartoon characters nose as he smiles and laughs. You added a cluster to several CVs for adjusting the nose as he smiles and another cluster to different CVs for adjusting the nose as he laughs. Creating the two clusters creates a set for each group of CVs. Occasionally you want to move CVs from one set to the other, to alter the deformations that occur as you transform the clusters. When you move the CVs from one set to the other set, they remain in the first set. You might not want the CVs in the first set because they add undesirable deformations as you transform the cluster. To avoid this problem, you can create a partition and put both sets in it. The partition prevents one set from having members of another set. When you move the CVs from the first set to the second set, theyre automatically removed from the first set. You can also add a partition to prevent clusters from having overlapping members when you add the cluster with Deform > Create Cluster . See Using Maya: Character Setup for details.

Understanding partitions
The LaughCVs and SmileCVs sets in the NoseParts partition cannot have overlapping members.
Partitions created by Maya

Maya creates partitions in cases where objects or items must be kept separate for correct operation. A new scene has two partitions by default: characterPartition renderPartition The characterPartition contains the character sets for each character you create. With all the character sets in the same partition, you can be sure that the attributes in one character set will not be in some other character set. The renderPartition contains the shading group sets explained in "Shading group sets" on page 300. Because you can apply only one shading group per object or per polygonal facet, the rendering partition ensures you cant accidentally render a single object or polygonal facet with two shading groups. If you rigid bind skin to a skeleton, Maya also creates a partition. The partition has the name joint1skinPartition or something similar. It contains all the skin point sets in your scene. The partition prevents you from assigning skin points to two different joints, which would result in undesirable skin deformations when you manipulate a skeleton. If creating a deformer with the Exclusive option, Maya creates a partition named deformPartition by default. The partition contains all deformer point sets in your scene. It prevents you from assigning points to two different sets, which might result in undesirable deformations when you manipulate the deformers. Because Maya creates partitions for you when it makes sense to do so, youll rarely need to create your own partitions. Still, if you find a situation where you need to create one, you can do so as described in the next topic.

Creating, displaying, and removing partitions
CREATING, DISPLAYING, AND REMOVING PARTITIONS

The following procedures describe how to create, display, and remove partitions. To create a partition: 1 2 3 Make sure no objects or other items are selected. Select any sets you want to put in the partition. See "Selecting sets" on page 304 for details. To create a partition with a default name, select Create > Sets > Partition on the Maya main menu. or In the Relationship Editor, select Partition Editing from the drop-down list and select Edit > Create Partition in the Partitions panel.
Note To name the partition when you create it, replace step #3 with: Select Create > Sets > Partition in the Maya main menu or in the Relationship Editor, select Edit > Create Partition . Enter the name of the partition in the Name text box of the Partition Options window and click Apply and Close. To display partitions: In the Relationship Editor, select Partition Editing from the drop-down list. The partitions appear in the left panel. To see the sets a partition contains, click the plus sign (+) beside the partition name. To remove a partition, but not its sets: 1 2 In the Relationship Editor, select Partition Editing from the drop-down list and click the name of the partition in the left panel. Select Edit > Delete Highlighted. This removes the partition, but not the sets within the partition. To remove a set from a partition: 1 2 3 In the Relationship Editor, select Partition Editing from the drop-down list. In the Partitions panel, expand the partition to see the set(s). Click the set you want to remove and select Edit > Remove Highlighted from Partition.

ADDING SETS TO PARTITIONS

The following procedures describe how to add and move sets to partitions: To add a set to an existing partition when you create the set: 1 2 Select the objects or items to be put in the set. From Mayas main menu, select Create > Sets > Set . or In the Relationship Editor, select Set Editing from the drop-down list and select Edit > Create Set in the left panel. The Create Set Options window opens. 3 4 5 6 Enter the name of the set in the Name text box. To add the set to a partition turn on Only if Exclusive or By Making Exclusive. Select the name of the partition from the Partition pull-down menu. Click the Apply and Close button. If the partition already has a set containing elements of the selected object, when you select Only if Exclusive, Maya doesnt add the member and instead displays a warning message in the Command Feedback Line. If you select By Making Exclusive, Maya adds the member to the set after removing the member from the set its already part of. Maya puts the set in the selected partition. To add a set to a partition: 1 2 3 In the Relationship Editor, select Partition Editing from the drop-down list. In the Partitions panel, click the partition you want to add to. In the Objects panel, click the set to be added into the partition. or Select the set in the Outliner and select Edit > Add Selected Items in the Relationship Editor.

Image by Kevin Mannens
PART 3
PREFERENCES
12
Preferences Tool Settings
SETTING PREFERENCES
You can use preferences to customize Maya to the way you work. You can change general color definitions, the way manipulators display, and the appearance of the Shelf, menu bars, and panels. This chapter describes how to set preferences in Maya.
SETTINGS/PREFERENCES MENU
The Window > Settings/Preferences menu gives you access to the various Maya preferences windows, including: See "Preferences window" on page 316 in this chapter. Opens the settings for the current tool. See "Specifying tool settings" on page 332 in this chapter. Also see information on the specific tool. See "Specifying performance settings" on page 333 in this chapter.
Hotkeys Colors
Performance Settings
Displays the Hotkey Editor to let you create and edit your own hotkey combinations. See "Assigning hotkeys" on page 362. Displays the Colors window to let you specify the color of various components of Maya, including the Hypergraph and the Multilister. See "Changing color settings" on page 330 in this chapter. Displays the Marking Menus window to let you edit the marking menus. See "Creating and editing marking menus" on page 351. Displays the Shelves window to let you create and edit shelves. See "Creating and editing shelves" on page 339. Displays the Panels window to let you create and edit your own panels. See "Working with Panels and Layouts" on page 367. Opens the Plug-in Manager to let you load and unload plug-in software and Maya modules. See "Loading and unloading plug-ins" on page 334.
Marking Menus Shelves Panels Plug-in Manager
SETTING PREFERENCES | 12
Where Maya stores preferences
WHERE MAYA STORES PREFERENCES

Many of the settings that define the Maya user interface are stored in .mel files in the the following directory: ~username/maya/4.0/prefs (UNIX) drive:\Windows\Profiles\username\maya\4.0\prefs (Windows NT) drive:\My Documents\username\maya\4.0\prefs (Windows 2000) Shelves are stored in the shelves subdirectory, icons are stored in the icons subdirectory, and marking menus are stored in the markingMenus subdirectory. When you customize Maya, your new settings are stored in user preference files, so that each time you open Maya, your settings are used instead of the Maya default settings. If you delete a preference file, Maya uses the default settings. Color and hotkey files The following .mel files store settings you have customized using the Colors window and Hotkey Editor. userColors.mel Contains preferences defined on the Active and Inactive tabs of the Colors window. userRGBColors.mel Contains preferences defined on the General tab of the Colors window. paletteColors.mel Defines the colors (RGB) making up the index palette in the Active and Inactive tabs of the Colors window. userHotkeys.mel Contains any hotkeys you have assigned in the Hotkey Editor window. userNamedCommands.mel Contains all the commands that have hotkeys assigned to them. Default hotbox marking menus The following files define the default Hotbox marking menus. menu_ChangePanelLayout.mel North menu_ChangePanelType.mel South menu_ChangeSelectionMask.mel West menu_CommonModelingPanes.mel Center menu_ControlPaneVisibility.mel East User preferences The following files define user preferences. userPrefs.mel Contains preferences defined in the Preferences window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences). windowPrefs.mel Defines the default size and position of Maya windows.
Saving preferences using userSetup.mel
SAVING PREFERENCES USING USERSETUP.MEL

While you save most Maya user preferences through the user interface, you can also store preferences not stored through the user interface by creating the file userSetup.mel in the following directory: ~username/maya/4.0/scripts (UNIX) drive:\Windows\Profiles\username\maya\4.0\scripts (Windows NT) drive:\My Documents\username\maya\4.0\scripts (Windows 2000) Whenever you launch Maya, the MEL commands in this file run. For example, you could put the following command in the userSetup.mel file:
alias djs jointDisplayScale;
This creates an alias named djs, that lets you set the joint size without using the Display > Joint Size menu or typing jointDisplayScale. You can enter the djs alias with a joint size in the Command Line or Script Editor:
djs 1.5;
In this example, the joint size is set to 1.5.
Important The scene is cleared of all objects after the commands in the userSetup.mel file are run. Therefore, any scene elements created using the userSetup.mel file will have been removed when Maya comes up. For details about writing MEL scripts, see Using Maya: MEL.
Preferences window
PREFERENCES WINDOW
You can set a variety of preferences in the Preferences window (Window > Settings/ Preferences > Preferences). Select a category on the left and set the related preferences on the right.
Saving and reverting changes

Your changes to the preferences are saved automatically when you quit Maya or when you click the Save button in the Preferences window. If you need to revert to previous settings, you can use the options under the Edit menu: Revert to Saved and Restore Default Settings. Revert to Saved returns all preferences to the settings when you last saved. Restore Default Settings returns all preferences to the default settings.
Tip For your preference changes to take effect, make sure you click Save.
Interface
Menu Set Show Menubar Show Title Bar Windows
This determines which menu set displays in the main Maya menu bar on start-up. The default is Animation. Hides or displays the main menu bar and the Panels menu bar. Hides or displays the title bars in the main window and the Script Editor. The title bar includes window control buttons for expanding and collapsing the application. Turn on Remember Size and Position so that Maya restores the size and position of all windows when closed and re-opened. If turned off, the Maya windows always display in the center of the screen upon opening.
Preferences window
Command Line
Turn on Hold Focus if you want the cursor to stay in the Command Line after you press Enter. Otherwise, the cursor returns to the current window. Use this option to specify how the Attribute Editor displays when you open it (such as pressing Ctrl+A). To open the Attribute Editor in a separate window, select In Separate Window. To open the Attribute Editor in the main Maya window, select In Main Maya Window.
Open Attribute Editor
Open Tool Settings
Use this option to specify how the Tool Settings display when you open them. To open the Tool Settings in a separate window, select In Separate Window. To open the Tool Settings in the main Maya window, select In Main Maya Window. Select an Expression Editor for editing text.
Expression Editor
UI Elements
Visible UI Elements
Hides or displays UI elements. You can also control this display from the Display > UI Elements menu. Turns on any elements you want displayed in the Maya main window.
Note You cannot display both the Channel Box and the Attribute Editor in the main Maya window at the same time.
Misc
Display Time Window Selection
Specify a display time for pop-up help. The default is four seconds. Select whether Maya uses the existing help browser window (Use an Existing Help Browser Window) or creates a new one (Create a New Help Browser Window for Maya Help) when you select a Help menu item. Select whether an html browser appears when you select Help > Library, Global Index, Search, Maya Basics, or MEL. The default is on. When Save Panel Layouts with File is turned on, the panel layouts are saved with the scene file. The default is on. (This replaces the former Save File options.) When turned on, this restores saved layouts from the file. The default is on. (This replaces the former Open File options.) You can specify a layout for new scenes.
Keep Current Layout
Window Visibility When Saving When Opening Starting New Scenes
Keeps the current layout for new scenes.
Use Layout Specified Below Creates new scenes based on the layout selected from the pull-
down menu. Single Perspective View is the default.
Preferences window
Display
Fast Interaction Axes
Turns Fast Interaction on to improve performance by displaying fewer geometric entities (such as polygons). The default is off. Displays one or both of the XYZ coordinates (view and origin axes). If you disable both choices, no XYZ coordinates appear.
View Axis Origin Axis
Displays the XYZ coordinates in the bottom left corner of the view. The default is on. Displays the XYZ coordinates at coordinates 0, 0, 0. The default is on.
Grid Plane
Displays or hides the grid plane. The grid is a 2D plane that represents 3D dimensions in the view. It is useful when you want to animate motion relative to a solid surface. Select Hide to hide the grid. The default is Show. This setting overrides the Display > Grid setting described in "Using a grid" on page 115.
Active Object Pivots
Specify whether to display pivot points. The default is off. Turns highlighting display on or off. An object associated with or affected by a selected object is highlighted in a different color. The default is on.
Affected Highlighting
Note You can edit this highlight color by selecting Window > Settings/ Preferences > Colors, clicking the Active tab, expanding General, and modifying Active Affected.
Wireframe on Shaded
Select how you want to display the wireframe on shaded objects.

Full Reduced None Region of Effect
Displays normal resolution wireframes on shaded objects. This is the default. Displays fewer wires on shaded objects. Displays no wires on shaded objects. Performance is enhanced if you select None.
This option lets you turn on or off the region of effect display. Region of effect is the part of an object that will potentially change as a result of moving selected CVs. Note that curves show the region of effect as well as surfaces. The default is on.
Preferences window
Region of Effect on
Region of Effect off
Shade Templates
If on, template objects appear shaded in shaded view. If off, the templated objects appear as wireframes while all other objects appear shaded. The default is off.
Kinematics
Joint Size IK Handle Size
Changes the display size of skeleton joint sizes. The range is from 0.01 to 5.0. Changes the display size of IK handles. The range is from 0.01 to 5.0.
Animation
Steps before Current Frame
Specifies how many ghosted images are drawn at frames before the current frame. Type a value or drag the slider. The default is 3.
Steps after Current Frame
Specifies how many ghosted images are drawn at frames after the current frame. Type a value or drag the slider. The default is 3.
Frames Per Step
Specifies the number of frames between drawing the ghosts. Type a value or drag the slider. The default is 3.
Manipulators
Global Scale
Specifies the size of the manipulators. The range is from 0.10 to 10.00.
Preferences window
Handle Size
Specifies the size of the handle. The range is from 4 to 100.
Line Size
Specifies the line thickness size of the rotate manipulators rings.
Line Pick Size
Determines the line thickness used when picking the rotate manipulator rings. The pick size should be the same as line size, so you can identify which handle will be picked by the size of the ring. Controls the size of the points drawn for a previous feedback. For example, for the Move Tool, an axis is drawn to indicate the previous position, with square points at the end of the axes. This controls the size of the squares. Rotate and scale manipulators also have previous state feedback. This type of feedback is shown only when you drag; it disappears as soon as you release the mouse.
Previous State Size
Default Manipulator
You can specify a Default Manipulator option in the Show Manipulator section to control what manipulator, if any, appears when you select the Show Manipulator Tool. The Default Manipulator options include:
None Translate Rotate Scale Transform Smart
Does not display a manipulator. Displays the Move Tools manipulator. Displays the Rotate Tools manipulator. Displays the Scale Tools manipulator. Displays the Transform (triple) manipulator. Checks the first child and if it is a shape displays the history manipulator for the shape. Otherwise displays the Transform (triple) manipulator. This is the default.
Preferences window
NURBS
New Curves, New Surfaces
Select whether you want Edit Points, Hulls, and/or CVs on new curves or new surfaces:
Note These options work only on new curves or surfaces, not existing items.
Surface Divisions
Controls the smoothness of an object in a view. It also affects the rendering of newly created surfaces. Enter a value or use the slider. The range is from 0 to 64. The higher the value, the smoother the surface. Controls the smoothness of a curve in a view. Enter a value or use the slider. The range is from 1 to 128. The higher the value, the smoother the curve. Controls how smooth your smooth-shaded object looks. Enter a value or use the slider. The range is from 1 to 64. The higher the value, the smoother the smoothshaded object.
Curve Divisions Shaded Divisions
Polygons
Vertices
Specify how you want vertices to display:

Display Normals Backculling
Turns the display of vertices on or off. Displays vertex normals on or off. Makes vertices invisible in areas where the normal is pointing away from the camera. Displays all edges the same (hard or soft). Displays soft edges as dotted lines and hard edges as solid lines. Displays hard edges only (makes soft invisible). Displays thicker outside edges to make them more visible for certain operations. Displays a thick border to highlight the area a texture affects per polygon or per vertex.
Edges
Specify how you want edges to display:

Standard Soft/Hard Only Hard
Highlight
Specify how you want to highlight polygons:

Border Edges Texture Borders
Border Width Faces
Specify the width of the polygon border. The range is from 1 to 10. Specify how you want faces to display:
Centers Normals Triangles
Displays a small square to indicate the face center. Shows the normals at the center of each polygon. Displays all polygons as triangles.
Preferences window
Non-planar
Displays non-planar faces with a tinted color for easy identification. A non-planar face has vertices that lie outside the plane of the face. By identifying and eliminating non-planar faces, you can avoid unexpected results from reshaping the surface later.
Show Item Numbers Normals Size Color Color Material
Specify where you want item numbers displayed: at each vertex (Vertices), at each edge (Edges), on each face (Faces), or at each UV (UVs). Specifies the display size of the normals. The range is from 0.1 to 10. Turn Colored Shading on to use the Apply Color operation (Edit Polygons > Colors > Apply Color). For details, Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling. These menu options override any existing material channels and replace them with the vertex colors you assign. For all options other than None, lighting affects the objects shading.
None Ambient Ambient+Diffuse Diffuse Specular Emission
None of the material properties of the shader(s) assigned to the object are used. In this case lighting is also disabled. The ambient material channel of the assigned shader(s) is overridden by the vertex color. The ambient and diffuse material channels of the assigned shader(s) are overridden by the vertex color. The diffuse material channel of the assigned shader(s) is overridden by the vertex color. The specular material channel of the assigned shader(s) is overridden by the vertex color. The emission material channel of the assigned shader(s) is overridden by the vertex color.
Backface Culling
Specify the display for backface culling:

Off On Keep Wire Keep Hard Edges
No backface culling occurs. This is the default. Surfaces become invisible in areas where the normal is pointing away from the camera. Displays wireframe outlines, but any areas where the normal is pointing away from the camera are hidden. Sets backface culling for soft edges only. See Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling for more information on polygonal modeling.
Settings
Up Axis Linear Angular
Sets the up axis to Y or Z. The default is Y. See "Orienting the XYZ system" on page 41. Sets the unit of measure for operations that use linear values, for example, moving and scaling. The default unit for measuring linear values is centimeters. Sets the unit of measure for operations that use an angular value, for example, rotation. The default unit for measuring angular values is degrees.
Preferences window
Time
Sets Mayas internal representation of what one second is. For example, in a dynamics simulation, which relies on real world timings, the resulting simulation will produce keys which represent one second as 24 frames (Mayas default value). It also allows you to compensate for intermediate output devices (for example, Abekas, etc.) which may have different frame rates to your final output (for example, Film). When changed, your animation keys will move in time to match that range. This is only while your time units are on that alternate setting. Returning the time units to your creation setting will return your keys to their original location. The default for measuring time is Film 24fps (24 frames per second).
Note Be sure you set your preferred time unit for a particular session, before creating any animation. This will ensure correct timing of your keyframes, for the final output and final fps setting.
Keep Keys at Current Frame
By default when you change the current time unit, the times for any existing keys are modified so that playback timing is preserved. For example, a key set at frame 12film changes to frame 15ntsc when the current time unit is changed to ntsc, since they both represent a key at 0.5 seconds. When this option is on, it will leave the key at 12ntsc that was originally at 12film. The default setting for this option is off. The option will turn itself on once the current time unit is changed. Tolerance The Tolerance value determines the degree of accuracy that is maintained between the original and fit (or interpolated) curves. This setting applies globally to Maya. You can change it on a case-by-case basis. Set the following tolerance options:
Positional Tangential
Set the degree of accuracy between the actual positions of the original and interpolated curves. Set the degree of accuracy required to determine if two NURBS objects are to be made tangent across a shared edge or point.
Dynamics
Auto Create Rigid Body
Turn this option on to automatically create active rigid bodies when you connect an object to a field (apply a fields influence to geometry).
Run Up To Current Time
If you click a frame in the Time Slider, the correct state of all dynamic objects in the scene is displayed only if Maya performs run-up to calculate each frame prior to that frame. Turn this option on if you want to click frames in the Time Slider. Note that run-up also occurs for hidden objects. Leave run-up turned off if you want to prevent Maya from calculating dynamics when you click in the Time Slider. This is useful in a scene that has both nondynamic objects and complex dynamic objects, where you want the state of nondynamic objects to appear promptly after you click the Time Slider. If you are keying dynamic objects, its also useful leave run-up turned off to avoid waiting for run-up calculations that are irrelevant to your keying activities. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 323
Preferences window
Run Up From
Select one of the following options:

Previous Time
If you click a frame higher than the current frame, run-up starts from the prior current time and ends at the frame you click. Select this option if you wont be changing any attributes of a dynamic object in the scene. This setting lessens the time youll spend waiting for run-up. If you click a frame lower than the current frame, run-up starts from the beginning of the animation. Run-up starts from the start frame regardless of where you click in the Time Slider. Select this option if you plan to change any attributes of a dynamic object in the scene. This ensures that you see the correct object states when you click in the Time Slider after modifying an objects dynamics.
Start Time
Save Startup Cache for Particles
When this option is turned on (the default), Maya automatically saves the start-up cache for all your particles every time you save the file. Unlike particle disk caches, you don't have to create the start-up cache explicitly every time. See Using Maya: Dynamics for more information.
Files/Projects
Default Projects Directory, Always Start in This Project
Use these settings to set up a default projects directory when you create new projects and on startup.
Files, Increments, Projects On File Save
Specify how many files, increments, and projects you want to have listed in each of the File > Recent submenus. Specify the compression mode you want to use when saving an ASCII file:
Compressed
Saves files in compressed mode. File compression reduces the sizes of large files so they do not occupy as much space on your hard drive. Saves files in uncompressed mode. Keeps files in their original compression mode rather than compressing or uncompressing them. As Is is the default.
Uncompressed As Is File Import Merge
Specify how you want the Display Layer merged when you import a file.
None By Number
All layers read in are put in a new layer, renumbered, and renamed, if necessary to preserve uniqueness. Rather than creating a new layer, all layers read in that have the same index number as an existing layer are merged with that layer. Rather than creating a new layer, all layers read in that have the same name as an existing layer are merged with that layer.
By Name
Preferences window
Keys
Auto Key New Curve Default Weighted Tangents
Turn Auto Key on to automatically set keys on keyable attributes of an animated object (including lights, shaders, textures, cameras, and so on). Use this menu to create blends between rotations using quaternions rather than Euler angles. Turn Weighted Tangents on to give animation curve tangents weight. The default is turned off, which means the tangents are non-weighted. Set the default In and Out Tangents to:
Spline Linear Clamped Flat Stepped
Default In Tangent, Default Out Tangent
Creates an animation curve that is smooth between the key before and the key after the selected key. Creates an animation curve as a straight line joining two keys. Creates an animation curve which has the characteristics of linear and spline curves. Sets the in and out tangents of the key to be horizontal (with a slope of 0 degrees). Creates an animation curve whose out tangent is a flat curve.
Modeling
Output Geometry As
These settings determine the type of geometry created from modeling actions such as Revolve, Loft, Extrude, Fillet Blend, and so forth. Setting it here affects all applicable modeling actions. Otherwise, select Mixed to use the individual settings of each modeling action. Specify whether you want certain NURBS modeling commands to behave like actions or tools. An action performs a discreet function on selected objects. A tool lets you manipulate objects until you complete the operation. You may want to change actions to tools as you become proficient at Mayas NURBS modeling, or it you are accustomed to Power Animator tools. To globally change the applicable modeling tools, choose Everything is a Tool or Everything is an Action. To individually set each command, choose Mixed.
Interaction Mode
While Duplicating
Select an option to specify how to handle node names while duplicating child nodes.
Retain Same Name for Child Nodes The child node name remains the same when the hierarchy is
duplicated. This is the default.

Assign Unique Name to Child Nodes The child node is renamed when the hierarchy is duplicated.
Preferences window
Selection
Modifiers Modifiers control Maya selection operations. They work with masks to control what is displayed when you select items. You can turn on one or more of the following:
Single Marquee Select
Selects the first object in a hierarchy.

Click Drag Select
Lets you perform one-step click-dragging with the transformation tools. You can move one object using the Move tool, then click on a second object and the Move tool displays. This means you do not have to select the object and the Move tool again you can keep using the Move tool on any subsequent selected object. The default is off. If you change from object to component selection mode, the selected object is not affected. This option lets you select objects and components at the same time. The default is on. When objects overlap in the view, lets you display a pop-up list of the objects so you can select them. Left-click on the overlap area to display the menu. The default is off.
Affects Active
Popup Menu Selection
Ignore Selection Priority
Treats all objects with the same priority. The selection order does not matter. The default is off.
Expand Popup List
If you turned on Expand Popup List, displays all the pop-up list of objects and everything underneath it in the hierarchy. The default is off.
Preferences window
Click Box Size
This option controls the size of the selection area around the mouse pointer, or click box. If you are having problems with selecting objects or components, try adjusting this option. For example, a higher click box size might make it easier to select curves. Increasing the click box size is also useful if you have a high resolution screen display. Polygon Selection
Select Faces with
Specify how you want to select polygonal faces:

Center Whole Face
Select polygonal faces at their center. In other words, you must click the box at the center of the face to select the entire face. Select the entire face. You can click anywhere on the face, even any face edge, to select it.
Priority You can specify a selection priority for objects and components. By default, NURBS curves have a higher selection priority than surfaces. This means that Maya will select the NURBS curve before the surface when you select geometry that contains both NURBS curves and surfaces.
1 Scroll to select the item you want to prioritize. 2 Select Custom. 3 Enter the priority number.
Snapping
With these options, you can control the size region around the mouse pointer that is used for the snap operation.
Use Snap Tolerance
When on, the snap region is restricted to a square area around the cursor, defined by the Snap Tolerance option. When off, the snap region is unlimited; you can snap to anything viewable. Controls the size of the snapping area around the cursor when Use Snap Tolerance is on. For example, if you have two curves close together and you try snapping to one of the curves, the object may snap to the wrong curve. To avoid this, try using a small Snap Tolerance value.
Snap Tolerance
Sound
Waveform Display
The Waveform Display option allows you to control how much of the sounds waveform is displayed.
Top
Displays only the top half of the sound.
Preferences window
Bottom
Displays only the bottom half of the sound.
All
Displays the full waveform.
Repeat on Hold
Repeats a sound at the current time. You must hold the mouse button down in the Time Slider. For more information on using sound with Maya, see Using Maya: Animation. Controls how much sound (in the current time unit) is repeated when you turn on Repeat on Hold.
Repeat Size
Timeline
Playback Start/ End Animation Start/ End Height
Specifies the range of time to use as your time playback range. Displays the entire range of times available. Adjusts the height of the time slider. This helps with sound synching (as a soundtrack can be displayed in the time slider.) Select 1x for the default size, 2x to double the size of the slider, and 4x to increase the size four times. Keyframe ticks show the location of keys along the time slider. Select None to turn the key tick display off, Active to display only active keys, or Channel Box to display only those keys in the Channel Box. Turn the following options on or off:
Timecode
Key Ticks
Options
Changes the default display of time to video standard timecode. Enables the Timecode Offset box so you can supply timecodes to match the timing from videotape. Turns key snapping on or off. When on, the time indicator shows integer values only.
Snapping Timecode Offset
The Timecode Offset lets you specify how time 0 on the Time Slider appears when displaying in Timecode mode. For example, if the Timecode Offset is set to three hours (a value of 03:00:00:00), the Timecode Display would read 03:00:00:00 at time 0.
Preferences window
Update View Looping
Specifies whether Maya plays back an animation in All modeling views or only in the active view. The default is Active. Specifies how you want Maya to play back an animation. Select Once to play an animation once, then stop. Select Oscillate to play an animation forwards and backwards continuously. Select Continuous to play an animation continuously. Continuous is the default setting. Specifies the frame rate for playback.
Play every frame Displays all the frames of your animation. Each frame is updated
Playback Speed
completely before proceeding to the next one. Specify the exact rate in the Playback by box. This rate reflects your systems ability to draw your animation on screen and is not necessarily a real-time playback mode. This is the default setting.
Real-time (24 fps) Plays your animation in real-time. Some frames may be dropped
(not displayed) to execute this in real-time. This depends on your systems capabilities, the complexity of your scenes, and the display mode for the playback.
Half (12 fps) Plays back at exactly half the speed of real time. Twice (48 fps) Plays back at twice real-time speed. Other Enables the Other box so you can enter an exact ratio of playback rate to real-
time.
Playback by
If you select Play every frame for the Playback Speed, specify the exact rate in this box. This rate reflects your systems ability to draw you animation on screen and is not necessarily a real-time playback mode. The default setting is 1.0.
Undo
Undo Queue
Select On if you want to be able to undo operations. This is the default. See "Selecting objects" on page 69. Select Infinite to perform an unlimited number of undo operations. This option can use a lot of memory. Select Finite to limit the number of undo operations you can perform (specified in the Queue Size box). The default is Finite. If Finite is the selected Queue setting, specify here the number of undo operations you can perform. The default is 10.
Queue Size
Modules
Maya includes a number of different software modules. Each time you start Maya, the software loads all the available licensed modules.
Disabling packages to free up RAM

Loading several modules can use a lot of RAM and thus increase the start-up time. To avoid this, you can disable one or more of the modules. You can still load a disabled module by selecting it from the main menu bar.
Disabling modules based on tasks

You can also disable various modules based on the specific tasks you are performing. For example, if you are only rendering, you can improve system response time by disabling Dynamics.
Changing color settings
Note If you enable or disable a module, you must exit Maya and restart the software for the changes to take effect.
CHANGING COLOR SETTINGS

You may want to make certain components stand out from a scene or object.
Tips Use lighter colors for active components and darker colors for inactive components. If you have made changes to the color settings for a tool and want to restore the original settings, select Edit > Reset to Defaults in the Colors window.
Changing default colors

You can change the default colors used by Maya in the Colors window To open the Colors window: Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors. The Colors window opens.
The Colors window has three tabs. Each tab allows you to change the default colors for a different set of components.
General tab
Use the General tab to change the default colors for components in these areas: 3D Views, User Defined, Ghosts, Heads Up Display, Animation, Animation Editors, Multilister, Hypergraph / Hypershade, Outliner, and Trax Editor. Use the Active tab to change the default colors for components in these areas: General, Objects, Components, Deformers, Manipulators, Animation, and Artisan Brushes.
Active tab
Changing color settings
Inactive tab
Use the Inactive tab to set the colors for objects that are not selected. The Inactive tab lets you change the default colors in the following areas or tools: General, Modeling, Objects, Components, Deformers, and Animation. To change a default color: 1 2 3 Open the Color window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Colors) and click the appropriate tab (General, Active, or Inactive). Expand the component type for the item you want to change. Click on a components color to open the Color Chooser.
Click here to display the Color Chooser
or In the Active or Inactive tab, click on a component to select it. Maya matches the existing color to one that most closely resembles it on the Index Palette. Double-click the corresponding color on the Index Palette to open the Color Chooser.
Click here...
...then double-click here
4 5
Select the color in the Color Chooser. See "Using the Color Chooser" on page 233. Click Save.
Specifying tool settings
Note You can change the color value in the Colors window by dragging the slider beside the component color.
SPECIFYING TOOL SETTINGS

Tool settings determine how a tool behaves. For example, if you are using the EP Curve Tool, you can specify whether the knot spacing is uniform or chord length. To change a tools settings: 1 Do one of the following to open the Tool Settings window: Click the Show or hide Tool Settings button or If the tool is represented by an icon in the Tool Box, double-click it. or If the tool is in a menu, select the option box () located beside the tool. or Select the tool and then select Window > Settings/Preferences > Tool Settings. 2 Make the desired changes and click Close. To return to a tools default settings: In the Tool Settings window, click Reset Tool. on the Status Line.
Duplicating a tool
Using shelves, you can have two tools with the same name but different tool settings. For example, you can have two versions of the Particle Tool. See "To add a tool from the Tool Box:" on page 342.
Specifying performance settings
SPECIFYING PERFORMANCE SETTINGS

You use the Performance Settings window to set when you want to refresh the screen when manipulating objects and to control complex operations, such as stitching and deformation. You can use the performance settings to suspend these complex operations during mouse interaction or to completely disable them. This improves performance by reducing the amount of evaluation necessary during interaction and playback. To specify performance settings: Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Performance Settings. The Performance Settings window opens.
Selecting screen refresh options To set when to refresh (or redraw the screen) when manipulating objects, in the Dependency Graph Evaluation section, select one of the following:
Drag Demand Release
Refreshes the display during the drag. Refreshes the display only when you release the mouse button and click the Refresh button that appears in the bottom right of the display window. Refreshes the display only when you release the mouse button. Controlling complex operations on surfaces To control complex operations on surfaces during mouse interaction, in the Surfaces section, select one of the following beside the surface:
On Off Interactive
Performs complex operations during mouse interactions. Completely disables complex operations during mouse interaction. Suspends complex operations during mouse interaction.
Loading and unloading plug-ins Controlling complex operations on deformers To control complex operations on deformers during mouse interaction, in the Deformers section, select one of the following beside the surface:
On Off Interactive Per Node
Performs complex operations during mouse interactions. Completely disables complex operations during mouse interaction. Suspends complex operations during mouse interaction. For Cluster Resolution and Lattice Resolution only, improves redraw performance for individual cluster or lattice deformations by setting the Use Partial Resolution attribute to partial and setting the Percent Resolution on a per node basis. For details, see Using Maya: Character Setup. For Cluster Resolution and Lattice Resolution only, improves the redraw performance of all cluster or lattice deformations. (You do not need to set the Percent Resolution for each cluster or lattice.) Set Global Cluster Resolution and Global Lattice Resolution to Full, High, Medium, or Low. A Low setting corresponds to a low percentage, and therefore more improved performance. For more information on surfaces, see Using Maya: NURBS Modeling and Using Maya: Polygonal Modeling. For more information on deformers, see Using Maya: Character Setup.
Global
LOADING AND UNLOADING PLUG-INS

A plug-in is an add-on module that extends Mayas capabilities. File translators are plug-ins you use to import and export various file formats. You can create or purchase specialty plug-ins to customize Maya for a specific job. Some features that can be added through plug-ins are: file translators tools objects (nodes) MEL commands device drivers The Plug-in Manager identifies which plug-ins are loaded into Maya. If you have a plug-in that you use frequently, you can make sure it is always there. The Plug-in Manager automatically scans all the directories in the plug-in path and lists available plug-in features.
Loading plug-ins
You can manually load plug-ins each time you run Maya, or you can have them load automatically when you start Maya.
Loading and unloading plug-ins To load a plug-in: Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager. The Plug-in Manager window opens.
Click here to load the plug-in
Click here to enable the auto load feature
Selecting loading options Turn on or off the appropriate option beside the plug-in.
loaded auto load
Turn on loaded to load the plug-in for the current Maya session. Turn on auto load to load the plug-in so that the next time you start Maya the plugin loads automatically.
Displaying plug-in information

To view information about a particular plug-in, you must first load it, then click the i button beside the plug-in.
Loading and unloading plug-ins
Click here to display information on the plug-in
Maya displays the following information for a selected plug-in:

Name Path
The name of the plug-in. On UNIX, plug-ins have the extension .so. On Windows, they have the extension .mll. The location of the file. On UNIX, the default plug-in location is /usr/aw/maya4.0/ bin/plug-ins. On Windows, the default plug-in location is drive:\aw\maya4.0\bin\plug-ins. The manufacturer of the plug-in. The version number of the plug-in. The version of the Maya API (Application Programmer Interface) the plug-in was compiled for.
Vendor Plug-in Version For API Version
Note You cannot load a plug-in for any version of Maya that predates the version it was compiled for.
Auto Load Is Loaded Plug-in Features
Indicates whether the plug-in has been marked for auto load. Indicates whether the plug-in is loaded. Displays a list of the features added by the plug-in (for example, commands, dependency nodes, file translators). To display additional plug-ins, click the triangle to open the Other Registered Plugins section.
Unloading a plug-in
You can unload a plug-in when you finish with it. To unload a plug-in, turn off the loaded check box next to it.
Loading and unloading plug-ins If you are developing a plug-in, unload it so the source code can be changed, the plug-in recompiled, and then reloaded. Removing references to the plug-in Before you can unload a plug-in, you must first remove all references to it from the Maya scene. Otherwise, Maya converts the plug-in nodes to unknown nodes. For example, if you load a shader plug-in and then unload that same shader plug-in without first removing the special shader node and all of its references in the scene, Maya will display an error message the next time you open that scene. If you try to unload a plug-in while it is in use, a warning message will display. You can then cancel the unload or force it. If you force the unload of a plug-in while it is in use, you cannot reload that plugins node. Maya converts the existing nodes to unknown nodes. When you reload plug-ins, you cannot change the type of these existing unknown nodes.
Loading and unloading plug-ins
13
CUSTOMIZING SHELVES, MARKING MENUS, AND HOTKEYS

This chapter provides detailed information about Mayas shelves, marking menus, and hotkeys. This information is for advanced users. Shelves are user-customizable areas to hold the actions and tools you use most often. Marking menus are an innovative way of selecting various menu items with the right mouse button. Hotkeys are keyboard shortcuts for commands.
CREATING AND EDITING SHELVES

You use shelves to put all the tools or action icons you use in one place. You can drag tools, options, and actions onto a shelf from the Tool Box, a menu, or the Script Editor. From the Maya main window, you can perform the following tasks: add shelf items (see "Adding shelf items" on page 342) remove shelf items (see "Removing shelf items" on page 344) move and copy shelf items (see "Moving and copying shelf items" on page 344) You can use the Shelves window to: create and delete shelves (see "Creating and deleting shelves" on page 341 and "Reordering the shelves" on page 345) change shelf icons (see "Changing shelf icons" on page 345) change icon labels (see "Changing icon labels" on page 347) add overlay labels (see "Setting Shelf options" on page 348) change MEL commands associated with an icon (see "Changing MEL command(s) associated with an icon" on page 349) To open the Shelves window: Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves.
CUSTOMIZING SHELVES, MARKING MENUS, AND HOTKEYS | 13

Creating and editing shelves
Shelves
Click the Shelves tab to display existing shelves. From here you can create, delete, and rename shelves and change their order. For details, see "Creating and deleting shelves" on page 341 and "Reordering the shelves" on page 345. Click the Shelf Contents tab to display the contents of a specific shelf. From here you can move and delete shelf items, change an items label and tooltip, as well as change its icon and icon name. For details, see "Changing shelf icons" on page 345, "Changing icon labels" on page 347, and "Setting Shelf options" on page 348. Click the Edit Commands tab to view and edit the MEL code associated with a tool or action. For details, see "Changing MEL command(s) associated with an icon" on page 349. Specify a brief description of the tool. This description appears with the icon in the icon or text modes, as well as in the tooltip (the pop-up description when the mouse hovers over the icon). For details, see "Changing icon labels" on page 347. (Where it appears is determined by Options menu settings. For details, see "Setting Shelf options" on page 348). Type a label for the icon. This text appears on top of the icon to distinguish it from other items that use the same icon. Note that the icon name always appears on top of the icon, unlike the label, which you can specify to show or hide. Click this button to change the icon image. For details, see "Changing shelf icons" on page 345. Click Save All Shelves to save all changes immediately and write the information to the user shelves directory. The file name for a shelf file has the prefix shelf_. Click Close to accept your changes but not write them to the disk immediately. If your UI preference is to save shelf changes only when explicitly requested, the changes will stay in effect only for the current session. Otherwise your changes will be saved the next time you save a file or quit the application. For information on changing this preference, see "Setting Shelf options" on page 348.
Shelf Contents
Edit Commands
Label & Tooltips
Icon Name
Change Image Save All Shelves Close

Creating and deleting shelves

In addition to using the default shelves, you can create custom shelves. Use custom shelves to group common or frequently used tools, menu commands, or MEL commands for easy access. To create a shelf: 1 2 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Maya displays the names of all existing shelves. Click New Shelf. Maya displays a default name for the new shelf in the Name text box and adds a new shelf tab in the main Maya window.
Default name for new shelf
Double-click the name in the Name text box, type the new shelf name (for example, Kinematics) and then press Enter. Maya adds the name of the new shelf to the Shelves window and the Maya window.
Name of the new shelf
Click Save All Shelves.

Note The shelf tabs must be turned on to see them. In the main Maya window, click the Shelf pull-down menu and select Shelf Tabs to turn them on.
To delete a shelf: 1 2 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Maya displays the names of all existing shelves. Select the shelf you want to delete, then click Delete Shelf. (You do not have to delete any of the associated icons before deleting the shelf.) You are prompted to confirm the deletion. 3 Click OK. Maya removes the shelf from the list of existing shelves and from the Maya window.
Note You cannot undo a delete command. However, Maya retains the shelf information in the file shelf_NAME.mel.deleted in the user shelves directory: ~username/maya/4.0/prefs/shelves (UNIX) drive:\WINNT\Profiles\username\maya\4.0\prefs\shelves (Windows NT) drive:\My Documents\username\maya\4.0\shelves (Windows 2000) So if you want to restore a deleted shelf, rename the file to shelf_NAME.mel, then restart Maya.
Adding shelf items

You can add menu commands, MEL commands, and tools to shelves from the Tool Box, a menu, or the Script Editor. You can also save multiple versions of the same tool to the shelf with different settings. For example, add a Sculpt Surfaces Tool with the Push option selected and another Sculpt Surfaces Tool with the Pull operation selected. To add a tool from the Tool Box: Using the middle mouse button, drag the tool to the shelf.

This creates an editable tool on the shelf. If you select this tool from the shelf and change any settings in the Tool Settings window, the settings for the shelf item also change. These new settings become the default for the shelf tool. To add a menu item to a shelf: Press Ctrl-Shift-Alt (UNIX), Ctrl-Shift (Windows), then select the item from the appropriate menu. Maya places the item on the shelf. This adds the base tool to the shelf. Any changes you make to the tool settings will be reflected in the shelf tool also. To add a MEL command to a shelf from the Script Editor: 1 2 In the Script Editor (Window > General Editors > Script Editor), highlight the MEL command text that you want to add to a shelf. Using the middle mouse button, drag the selected text to the shelf and release. This places a MEL icon on the shelf. When you click the icon, Maya runs the command(s). For example: 1 2 3 Open the Script Editor window (Window > General Editors > Script Editor). Select Create > NURBS Primitives > Sphere. A sphere appears at the origin. Select the Move Tool and drag a manipulator arrow to move the sphere. The MEL command move -r 5.315 0 0; (with your own coordinates), appears in the upper pane of the Script Editor. 4 5 Highlight the MEL command text in the upper pane of the Script Editor. Using the middle mouse button, drag the selected text to the shelf and release. This places a MEL icon on the shelf. When clicked, the icon executes the move -r 5.315 0 0; command again.

Removing shelf items

There are two ways you can delete a shelf item. You can use the middle mouse button to drag items to the garbage can directly on the shelf or you can use the Shelves window. To remove a shelf item directly from a shelf. Use the middle mouse button to drag the icon to the garbage can.
Maya removes the icon from the shelf. To remove a shelf item using the Shelves window: 1 2 3 4 5 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves). Click the Shelves tab, then select the shelf containing the tool or action you want to delete. The selected shelf becomes active in the main Maya window. Click the Shelf Contents tab. Select the description of the icon you want to delete, then click Delete Item. Maya removes the icon from the shelf. Click Save All Shelves or Close.
Moving and copying shelf items

You can move shelf items to change the order they appear and you can move shelf items between shelf tabs. You can also copy shelf items. For example, you can add the same tool to a shelf more than once, but with different settings. The original tool must have been added to the shelf from the Tool Box (see "To add a tool from the Tool Box:" on page 342). To change the order of shelf items: 1 2 3 On the shelf, use the middle mouse button to drag the icon to the desired position. or Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelf Contents tab. Select the item you want to move and click Move Up or Move Down until the item appears where you want it to appear. Click Save All Shelves or Close. To move an item between shelves. 1 2 Use the middle mouse button to drag the icon onto the other shelf tab. The icon is removed from the current shelf. Click the shelf tab on which you dropped the icon. The icon is visible on the new shelf.

Creating and editing shelves To copy an existing item on the shelf: Press the Ctrl key and use the middle mouse button to drag the icon to its new position. A copy of the icon appears on the shelf.
Renaming shelves
You can change the name of a shelf at any time to something more meaningful (for example, from ShelfLayout1 to Dynamics). To rename a shelf: 1 2 3 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Select the shelf you want to rename. Maya displays the name of the selected shelf in the Name text box. In the Name text box, change the name and then press Enter. Maya displays the new name in the list of existing shelves and in the Maya window. You cannot use spaces or special characters (for example, !,@,#,$,%) in shelf names. 4 Click Save All Shelves or Close.
Reordering the shelves

You can reorder the shelves that you use frequently. This is especially helpful if you have more shelves than Maya can display at once. To reorder the shelves: 1 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Maya displays all available shelves in the order they appear in the Maya window. Select the shelf you want to move, then click the Move Up or Move Down button until the selected shelf appears where you want it to appear. Click Save All Shelves or Close.
2 3
Changing shelf icons

On UNIX, Maya uses xpm (UNIX) images for the shelf button icons. Maya Windows uses bitmap (bmp) images and xpm images. You can assign a new image to a shelf button to more accurately reflect the buttons function. If you want to use an icon design other than the Maya default image, you must create your own image file. You cannot modify Mayas default shelf button icons. To create a new icon image: Use any available 2D image program to create new image files. The image file size must be 32 x 32 pixels to fit within the shelf button. Typically, you place the image in your user icons directory: ~username/maya/4.0/prefs/icons (UNIX) drive:\WINNT\Profiles\username\maya\4.0\prefs\icons (Windows NT) drive:\My Documents\username\maya\4.0\prefs\icons (Windows 2000) If you use a different directory, you should specify it in the XBMLANGPATH environment variable. See Chapter 8, Setting Environment Variables. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 345

Creating and editing shelves To change an icons image: 1 2 3 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Select the shelf containing the tool you want to change. Click the Shelf Contents tab.
Description of icon
Icon image
Select the description of the shelf item you want to change, then click the Change Image button. A file browser window opens with the images directory selected. On UNIX, the browser is called the Pixmap Selector. The browser defaults to /usr/ aw/maya4.0/icons, the location of Mayas default icons. On Windows, the default icons are stored in drive:\AW\Maya4.0\extras\icons.
Select a Maya default image or navigate to a new user-created image (it must have the file extension .xpm or .bmp).
Note Maya stores the image as a reference file. If you move it, you must specify the new location by using the Shelves editor or by setting the XBMLANGPATH variable. 6 On UNIX, click Apply to see your change in the main Maya window without closing the Pixmap Selector. Click Done to apply your change and close the Pixmap Selector. On Windows, click Open. 7 Click Save All Shelves or Close.

Note On UNIX, you can modify existing images and create new ones from the Pixmap Selector. To modify an existing image (but not a Maya default shelf button icon), select it and click the Modify button to launch the xpaint application. Make your changes and save them. To create a new image, click the New button, type a name for the new file, then click OK to create a blank image in the icons directory. Select the new image and modify it.
Changing icon labels

You can change the label of a tool or action icon if you: Want to make it more indicative of the function it performs. Have changed the options and want to change the name to reflect changes. For example, if you modify a copy of the sphere action so that it now creates a hemisphere, you can change both the label and icon to reflect this change. To change an icons label: 1 2 3 4 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Select the shelf that contains the icon you want. The selected shelf becomes active in the main Maya window. Click the Shelf Contents tab, then click the name of the icon you want to relabel. Enter the new label for the icon in the Label & Tooltips text box and then press Enter. Maya changes the tool label in the Shelves window and on the shelf in the main Maya window.
New label for the Sphere action

Note To show or hide the label for the tool, see "Setting Shelf options" on page 348. 5 Click Save All Shelves. When you move the cursor over the icon, Maya displays the new label on the Help Line and in the pop-up help.
Setting Shelf options

Use the Options menu in the Shelves window to specify the appearance of the shelf labels and to specify when to save the shelf changes.
Icon Only
Displays only the icon. This is the default.
Icon/Text Below
Displays the label below the icon.
Icon/Text Beside
Displays the label beside the icon.
Save Automatically Save Only on Request
When this option is on, your changes to the shelves are saved when you exit Maya. This is the default. When this option is on, your changes to the shelves are only saved when you select Save All Shelves in the Shelves window. If you dont save your changes, then they are lost when you exit Maya.

Adding icon names

Maya uses families of icons to represent related tools and actions. You can create an icon name to distinguish individual icons. For example, if you have several MEL command icons on your shelf, they all look the same because they all use the same default icon. You can use overlay labels to distinguish between these MEL buttons as shown in this illustration.
Icon name on a MEL command icon
You use the Shelves window to assign an icon name to a tool or action. To assign an icon name to an icon: 1 2 3 4 5 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Select the shelf containing the tool you want to rename. The selected shelf becomes active in the main Maya window. Click the Shelf Contents tab, then select the tool you want to rename. Enter the name in the Icon Name text box and then press Enter. Maya adds an icon name on top of the tool in the shelf. Click Save All Shelves.
Changing MEL command(s) associated with an icon

All actions on the shelf consist of a single or series of MEL commands. You can change these commands to change the behavior of the action. In the following example, we modify the MEL code for a move command to change the actions behavior. To modify an actions MEL code: 1 2 3 Open the Shelves window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Shelves) and click the Shelves tab. Select the shelf containing the item you want to edit. The selected shelf becomes active in the main Maya window. Click the Shelf Contents tab and select the item you want to edit.

Click the Edit Commands tab. The commands for the shelf item appear in the text area.
5 6 7
Make any necessary changes to the commands. Press Enter on the keyboard. When you click the icon for this action, the revised commands will run. Click Save All Shelves or Close.

Creating and editing marking menus
CREATING AND EDITING MARKING MENUS

Marking menus let you quickly access various tools and actions. You can customize a marking menus format and content. A marking menu has a radial portion and an overflow portion. The radial portion consists of one to eight menu items arranged in a circle.
Each menu item represents a command you have added to that marking menu. You can use the Marking Menus window to add, change, or delete a menu item or command. For more information on using the Marking Menus window, see "Modifying existing marking menus" on page 355. The overflow portion (or linear portion) has one or more menu items. The overflow items are arranged in a column below the radial items. Marking menus can be hierarchal. In other words, any menu item can have a submenu.
Note Each menu and submenu can contain a maximum of 38 menu items. You can use the Marking Menus window to: create marking menus (see "Creating marking menus" on page 352) attach a marking menu to a hotkey (see "Assigning marking menus to hotkeys" on page 355) modify existing marking menus (see "Modifying existing marking menus" on page 355) add submenus to marking menu items (see "Adding submenus to menu items" on page 358) add MEL scripts to marking menus (see "Associating a MEL script with a menu item" on page 359) delete marking menus (see "Deleting marking menus" on page 360) To display the Marking Menus window: Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus.

Marking menu defaults Zone Associated mouse buttons
Creating marking menus

You can modify the default marking menus or use the Marking Menus window to create new marking menus. You can add the following items to marking menus: text from the Script Editor tool icons and action icons from a shelf the Select, Lasso, Translate, Rotate, Scale, and Show Manipulator icons in the Tool Box You can associate your marking menu with a zone or mouse button in the Hotbox, or a specific hotkey to the marking menu. The Hotbox can support a different menu for each mouse button in each of the Hotboxs five zones. You can create three menus per zone, for a total of 15 marking menus (3 menus x 5 zones) with eight commands per marking menu. This gives you approximately 120 total commands (3 menus x 5 zones x 8 commands). To create a marking menu: 1 2 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus. The Marking Menus window opens. Click Create Marking Menu. The Create Marking Menu window opens.

Place tool or action icons here
Enter name of the marking menu
Use the middle mouse button to drag tools or actions to the Create Marking Menu window. For example, to add the Pencil Curve Tool, select Create > Pencil Curve Tool. The tool displays in the Tool Box. Using the middle mouse button, drag the Pencil Curve Tool from the Tool Box to the Create Marking Menu window.
Note You can also add MEL commands to the Marking Menus window. For details, see "Associating a MEL script with a menu item" on page 359. 4 Repeat step 3 for any additional tools.

Tips To delete an icon from the Create Marking Menu window, right-click the icon and select Delete Menu Item. To create a submenu, see "Adding submenus to menu items" on page 358. This is useful if you want to increase the number of menu items you can access from a marking menu. 5 6 Enter the name of the new menu in the Menu Name text box. To move a tools position, use the middle mouse button to drag the icon to a new position within the Create Marking Menu window.
Tip If a tool has an option box, you can make changes to the options.
Click here to change the tools options
7 8
When you are satisfied with the position of every tool in the marking menu, click Save and then close the Create Marking Menu window. Set the following options in the Marking Menu window and click Apply Settings, then Close. Specify whether the marking menu is linked to the Hotbox or a hotkey. For information on linking a marking menu to a hotkey, see "Assigning marking menus to hotkeys" on page 355.
Use Marking Menu in
Hotbox Region Mouse Button(s)
If you selected Hotbox for Use Marking Menu in, select the Hotbox zone the marking menu occupies: North, South, East, West, or Center. Select the left, middle, or right mouse button used to display the marking menu. You can select one, two, or three mouse buttons.

Assigning marking menus to hotkeys

In addition to adding or customizing marking menus in the Hotbox, you can assign a marking menu to a specific hotkey. Each time you press the hotkey and the left mouse button, the associated marking menu appears. For example, the q key is associated with the Select marking menu.
Note A marking menu/hotkey combination will not work in a tear-off window. You display marking menus by pressing the left mouse button and the appropriate hotkey. The following hotkeys bring up marking menus.
Hotkey a d e h q r w
Action on Marking Menu Select All History, Disable All Future, Select All Future, and Enable All Future High, Medium, and Low Quality Display Rotate X, Y, and Z Modeling, Animation, Dynamics, Rendering Select Mask (see previous illustration) Scale X, Y, Z and Scale XYZ Translate X, Y, Z and Translate XYZ
For more information on setting hotkeys, see "Assigning hotkeys" on page 362.
Modifying existing marking menus

Use the Edit Marking Menu button in the Marking Menus window to modify existing marking menus. You can add, edit, or delete individual menu items in a marking menu. You can also add submenus to add more tools and actions to a marking menu. For details, see "Adding submenus to menu items" on page 358. Each icon in the Edit Marking Menu window corresponds to a menu item in a marking menu. For information on adding menu items to an existing marking menu, see "Creating marking menus" on page 352.

To delete a menu item: 1 2 3 4 5 Open the Marking Menus window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus). Select an existing marking menu. Click Edit Marking Menu. The Edit Marking Menu window appears with each icon corresponding to a menu item. Right-click the menu icon you want to delete and select Delete Menu Item from the pop-up menu. Select Save and then Close. To edit a menu item: 1 2 Open the Edit Marking Menu window. Right-click the menu icon you want to edit and select Edit Menu Item from the popup menu. The Edit window appears that is according to the position of the icon (for example, Edit North, Edit North East, Edit East, Edit South East, Edit South, etc.).

3
Label Icon Filename Command(s) Check Box Radio Button Neither Option Box
Set the following options and then click Save and Close. Enter the name of the marking menu item. Enter the name of the icon file. For more information, see Using Maya: MEL. Enter the MEL script used as the command for the menu item. You can drag the MEL script from the Script Editors bottom panel with the middle mouse button. Displays a check box beside the marking menu item. Displays a check box beside the marking menu item. Displays nothing beside the marking menu item. Turn Option Box on to display the option box beside the menu item so you can change a tools options from the marking menu.
Note If the tool or action does not have an options window, you must use MEL code to create the box. Once the box is created, you must write MEL code to invoke the option window. For more information on MEL commands, see Using Maya: MEL.
Option Box Command(s)
Enter the MEL script to use as the command for the menu items option box.

Adding submenus to menu items

Like the main pull-down menus, menu items in a marking menu can have submenus. These submenus let you add extra tools and actions to a marking menu.
Note If you create submenus under an overflow menu item, the submenus cannot contain any radial items. In the following example, there are four menu items associated with one submenu.
Adding a submenu: In the following example, a submenu is associated with an icon. 1 2 3 4 Open the Marking Menus window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus). Select the marking menu that has the menu item you want to add a submenu to. Click Edit Marking Menu. Right-click the icon you want to add a submenu to and select Popup Submenu from the pop-up menu. The icon changes shape indicating that a submenu is associated with it and the Submenu Editor window opens.

Menu item icon changes to this
5 6 7 8
Using the middle mouse button, drag tools or actions to the Submenu Editor. Close the Submenu Editor window. To test the submenu, click in the Click Here to Test box. Click Save or Close.
Associating a MEL script with a menu item

If you have written a script to perform a particular task, you can associate it with a menu item in a marking menu. In the following example a MEL script is added to an existing marking menu. To associate a script with an menu item: 1 2 Open the Marking Menus window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus). Select the marking menu that has the menu item you want to add a submenu to and click Edit Marking Menu. or Click Create Marking Menu to create a new marking menu. For more information, see "Creating marking menus" on page 352. 3 4 5 6 7 8 Open the Script Editor (Window > General Editors > Script Editor). With the left mouse button, highlight the MEL script you want to associate with a marking menu. Using the middle mouse button, drag the the highlighted text to the marking menus menu item in the Edit or Create Marking Menu window. Right-click the new MEL icon and select Edit Menu Item. Add a label for the menu item. For details, see "Modifying existing marking menus" on page 355. Click Save and then close the Marking Menus window. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 359

Deleting marking menus

You can use the Marking Menus window to delete marking menus. When you delete a marking menu you can create a backup file which allows you to restore the menu. To delete a marking menu: 1 2 Open the Marking Menus window (Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus). Select the marking menu, then click Delete Marking Menu. The following dialog box appears.
If you want to delete the marking menu but keep a backup copy of it, select Create Backup. Maya stores the backup file in the user prefs directory with a file extension of .bak. For information on how to recover the marking menu, see "To restore a marking menu backup:" on page 360. or If you want to delete the marking menu without creating a backup file, click Do Not Backup.
Note You cannot recover a marking menu after you select Do Not Backup. Maya removes the marking menu from the Marking Menus window. 4 Click Close. To restore a marking menu backup:
Note You must exit Maya before restoring a deleted marking menu. 1 2 Rename the marking menu backup file menu_MenuName.mel.bak to menu_MenuName.mel. Restart your system.

Creating and editing marking menus 3 Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Marking Menus. The following message appears.
Click Load Menus. The recovered marking menu appears in the Marking Menu window.
Note Because Maya does not recover the mouse button assignment, you will have to re-assign a mouse button to the recovered marking menu.

Assigning hotkeys
ASSIGNING HOTKEYS
If you use a selection frequently, you may want to assign it to a hotkey. For example, if you frequently select File > Import, you can assign a hotkey to it. This decreases your reliance on the main menu. You assign hotkeys in the Hotkey Editor (Window > Settings/Preferences > Hotkeys) window. It lists menu items in the main menus, as well as commonly-used operations, such as Display Wireframe (hotkey 4). Also, you can assign hotkeys to your own MEL scripts or to commands that accompany plug-in software.
Select a command here...
...assign the hotkey here
You can add a custom command here so you can assign it a hotkey
Hotkeys on menu labels

When you assign a hotkey to a menu item, the change appears on the main menu label. (This feature does not apply to menu labels in the hotbox.)
Hotkeys shown beside menu selections

Assigning hotkeys
How hotkeys are saved

Maya saves your custom hotkey preferences so that they do not interfere with the default Maya hotkey settings. Your preferences will not be overwritten when you upgrade to the next Maya version. The file names containing hotkey preferences are userHotkeys.mel and userNamedCommands.mel under user prefs directory: ~username/maya/4.0/prefs (UNIX) drive:\WINNT\Profiles\username\maya\4.0\prefs (Windows NT) drive:\My Documents\username\maya\4.0\prefs (Windows 2000)
Assigning hotkeys to standard commands

Use the top half of the Hotkey Editor to assign hotkeys to a menu selection or standard command. To help you choose hotkeys, you can also view a list of mapped and unmapped keys. To assign a hotkey: 1 2 Choose Window > Settings/Preferences > Hotkeys. Select the category and command. There are categories for all of the main menus and for several other commands. Menu commands for plug-ins, including Live and Fur, are under the User category. If you have trouble finding a command, click Search (see "Examplecreating a hotkey for a view menu option:" on page 365). 3 In the Assign New Hotkey area, specify the key combination and other settings. You can see a list of which keys are unmapped by clicking List All.
Key
Enter the key you want to assign to the selected command. Enter a letter from A to Z (upper and lower case are different keys) or a number from 0 to 9. You cannot use more than one letter or number. Or, choose a special key from the pull-down list. For example, if you want the right arrow key to act as the trigger, assign it here.
Modifier Direction
Select either Alt or Ctrl for the hotkey modifier. Use Press or Release to associate a command with the press or a release of a key. For example, you can create a hotkey to instruct Maya to snap to a curve when you press a key, then turn off the snapping when you release it. If you added a key to an operation ending with (Press) or (Release), add the same key to the corresponding (Release) or (Press) operation.
Add to Recent Command List Query
Turn on so that this hotkey can appear in the Edit > Recent Commands window. Click Query to determine whether the specified key settings have already been assigned to a command.

Assigning hotkeys
Find
Click Find to highlight the category and command for the key you enter in the Key field.
Click Assign. The new hotkey appears in the Current Hotkeys list.
Viewing hotkey lists

Click List All to view a list of mapped and unmapped keys. This opens the List Hotkeys window that allows you to sort the keys in various ways. To print the hotkeys list to a file, click Save to File and specify a destination directory.
No Modifiers Ctrl Alt List All Ignore Release
Lists only single hotkeys, without Ctrl or Alt. Lists only hotkeys with a Ctrl + key combination. Lists only hotkeys with an Alt + key combination. Lists all hotkeys. Turn on to ignore the hotkeys that activate when you release the key, versus when you press the key. Turn off to see all hotkeys, including the ones activated when you release the key.
Searching for commands

Click the Search button at the bottom of the Hotkey Editor to perform a search through all existing commands. For example, you may want to perform a search if you know part of a command name, but not the category. Or, if you are adding a new command, you can first search for commands that are related. In the Search for Command window, you type a case-sensitive string and press Enter. The program searches for that string in the command names and command syntax. You can use * to represent any character or characters. You can also use brackets to enclose both capital and lower-case letters, such as: [aA]. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 364

Assigning hotkeys
Changing or deleting a hotkey

If you want to alter or delete an existing hotkey, select it from the Current Hotkeys list and click Remove. You can then assign a different hotkey as needed. You cannot restore a hotkey after you have deleted it; you must reassign it.
Adding commands for hotkey assignment

If there is a MEL command or script you want to invoke with a hotkey, you can add that command and then assign it a hotkey. This capability is also useful for assigning hotkeys to the selections on the Panel menu bar: View, Shading, Lighting, Show, and Panels (see "Examplecreating a hotkey for a view menu option:" on page 365). To add a new command for hotkey assignment: 1 2 Click New. Complete the Name and Description. These fields are for future reference. They only appear in the Hotkey Editor. 3 4 5 Select a category from the Category pop-up menu. Enter the MEL command into the Command box. Click Accept. The command should appear under the chosen category. You can now assign a hotkey to this command. Examplecreating a hotkey for a view menu option: 1 2 In the Hotkey Editor, click New. Complete the Name, Description, and Category. For the Command, you will cut and paste from the Script Editor. 3 4 Open the Script Editor (Window > General Editors > Script Editor). In the Script Editor, select Script > Echo All Commands. This instructs Maya to display all MEL commands used to execute any menu options. 5 6 In the Panel menu bar, select the menu item you want to create a hotkey for (for example, Shading > Smooth Shade Selected Items). Select the echoed MEL command from the Script Editor window.
Copy and paste the command into the Command box in the Hotkeys window. On UNIX, use the middle mouse. On Windows, use Ctrl+C (copy) and Ctrl+V (paste). USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 365

Assigning hotkeys
Click Accept in the Hotkeys window. The command appears under the chosen category. You can now assign a hotkey to this command.
14
WORKING WITH PANELS AND LAYOUTS

You can use panels and layouts to customize your workspace. Panels consist of interface elements, such as graphs, camera views, editors, and Outliners, that you can view within the main window. Layouts are groups of panels.
USING THE PANEL EDITOR

You use the Panel Editor to assign panels and layouts to your workspace. The Panel Editor also lists the existing layouts and panels. To display the Panel Editor: On the Maya menu bar, select Window > Settings/Preferences > Panels. or On the view menu bar, select Panels > Panel Editor.
You can select the following Panel Editor tabs:

Panels New Panel
Displays existing panels you can rename or delete. See "Creating and deleting panels" on page 368 and "Renaming existing panels" on page 368. Displays the types of panels that you can create. See "Creating and deleting panels" on page 368. USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 367
WORKING WITH PANELS AND LAYOUTS | 14

Managing panels
Layouts Edit Layouts History
Displays existing panel layouts and can be used to create additional layouts. See "Creating layouts" on page 371. Displays the current panel layout for editing. See "Defining layouts" on page 370. Displays the history of the panels you used. See "Maintaining layout history" on page 374.
MANAGING PANELS
A panel is a collection of interface display elements. You can view panels within the main window or tear them off so they exist in a separate window. Panels can consist of a single element, such as a camera view in a Modeling panel, or multiple elements, such as the Multilister with its many buttons and tabs. Panels have their own menu bars for their specific options.
Renaming existing panels

You rename existing panels using the Panel Editor. To rename a panel: 1 2 Select Panels > Panel Editor. Select the panel you want to rename.
Note You cannot rename the Top, Side, Front, or Persp view panels. 3 4 Type the new name in the Label text box, then press Enter. Maya changes the name of the panel in the list of existing panels. To make sure that the renamed panel appears in the list of available panels, select Panels > Panel.
Creating and deleting panels

Sometimes an object or scene is too big to fit in a window. When this happens, you may want to create a second panel. For example, if you created a skeleton and wanted to use the Outliner to look at two different parts of the object at the same time, you could create a second Outliner. Since the Outliner cannot display all of the nodes of the skeleton, you could use the second Outliner to view different parts of the object.

Managing panels To create a new panel: 1 Select Panels > Panel Editor and click the New Panel tab.
2 3
If you have more than one view open, select the view where you want the new panel to appear. Select a panel (such as the Outliner), then click Make New Panel. Maya creates a new panel and lists it before the selected view. The name of the new panel appears in the Panels tab.
Note Not all panels can be duplicated. For example, only one Hypergraph panel is allowed. If you try to create multiple Hypergraph panels, Maya displays an alert message. 4 To view a second Outliner, select Windows > Outliner. Both Outliner windows now appear in the view. You can now make changes to the Outliners so they display different information about the scene.

Defining layouts To delete a panel: Once you have deleted a panel, you cannot restore it. 1 2 3 Select Panels > Panel Editor. On the Panels tab, select the panel you want to delete, then select Delete. A confirmation dialog appears. To confirm the deletion, click OK. Maya removes the panel from the display.
DEFINING LAYOUTS
You often work with the same combinations of panels, depending on the task you are working on. When you render, you might want to work with the Multilister, RenderView and a perspective view. When you edit models, you might use the Outliner and a perspective view. Panel layouts provide these kinds of configurations. A number of predefined layouts are provided in Maya, but you can also create your own.
Selecting panel layouts

There are three ways to select panel layouts: from the Quick Layout buttons in the Tool Box from the main Maya window from a view panel from the Panel Editor To select a panel layout from the Tool Box: Click the desired Quick Layout button in the Tool Box. To select a panel layout from the main Maya window: On the main Maya menu bar, select Window > Saved Layouts, then select the layout you want to use. To select a panel layout from a view panel: On the Panel menu bar, select Panels > Saved Layouts, then select the layout you want to use. To select a panel layout from the Panel Editor. 1 2 Select Panels > Panel Editor and click the Layouts tab. Select one of the layouts. Selecting any item from the list applies that panel layout to the main window. Try a few of them. Some panels take a moment to load the first time you use them. 3 To return to the original panel layout, select Current Layout from the list.

Defining layouts
Adding a layout to a shelf

Add a layout to a shelf so you can select it quickly. To add a layout to a shelf: 1 2 3 Select a shelf by clicking the shelf tab. Select Panels > Panel Editor and click the Layouts tab. Select the layout, then click Add to Shelf. To add a name to the layout shelf icon (it displays as a MEL icon), see "To assign an icon name to an icon:" on page 349.
Creating layouts
By default, any new panel layouts you create are saved with your preference file. This allows you to use them with any of your scene files. You can also create and save panel layouts that are only available with a specific scene. To create a layout: 1 Select Panels > Panel Editor and click the Layouts tab. or Right-click a Quick Layout button in the Tool Box, select Edit Layouts and then click the Layouts tab. 2 3 4 Select a layout, such as the Four View, and then click New Layout. Rename the layout in the Name text box. Click the Edit Layouts tab.
Maya displays two additional subtabs:

Configurations Contents
Use this tab to change the configuration and proportions of the layout. Use this tab to change which panels appear in the layout.
From the Configuration pull-down menu, select the panel configuration required (in this example, Four Panes).

Defining layouts 6 Resize the panes by dragging the borders in the thumbnail view of the layout. The main window changes to reflect your changes.
Click-drag here to change the width of the display. Click-drag here to change the height of the display
Click the Contents tab.
Click here to display available panel types
Select whether you want layout to be scene independent or associated with the scene.
Scene Independent
Scene independent layouts are available for all scenes. Their contents are defined by panel types. If you have multiple panels of the same type in a scene, it is not certain which panels show up when you select your layout. This is not a problem in most cases; however, if you are working in a particular scene a great deal, then develop layouts that you can save specifically with that scene.
Associated with Scene
These layouts are only usable with the current scene. You can specify a particular panel if you have more than one of the same type.

Defining layouts
Note If you want to look through cameras other than the built-in persp, top, front, or side cameras, create another model panel for use in your panel layout. The Top View, Front View, Side View, and Persp View layouts use their respective built-in cameras as defaults. 9 From the Select Panel by Type menus, select panels for your panes.
10 Click the Layouts tab and select another layout. The main window changes to show the selected layout. 11 Select the layout you just created and close the Panels window. Your new panel layout displays in the main window. Your layout also appears in the Panels > Saved Layouts menu and the Windows > Saved Layouts menu. To save the current layout: 1 2 Select Window > Save Current Layout. The Save Panel Arrangement window opens. Type a name for the new layout and click OK. The layout appears in the Panels > Saved Layouts menu and the Windows > Saved Layouts menu.
Deleting layouts
At some point, you may no longer need layouts you created so you may delete them. To delete a layout: 1 2 3 4 Select Panels > Panel Editor. Click the Layouts tab, select the layout you want to delete and then click Delete. A Confirm dialog appears. Click OK to delete the layout. Close the Panels window. To remove a layout icon from the shelf: Use the middle mouse button to drag the icon to the garbage can.
Note When you delete a layout, you only delete the named panel configuration, not the source panels.

Defining layouts
Maintaining layout history

Maya keeps a record of panel layout changes. This lets you step forward or back through each view. This is helpful if you are moving between two layouts and cannot remember their names. To display panel history: Select Panels > Panel Editor and click the History tab.
History Depth Wrap History Clear History Previous Layout Next Layout
Specify the number of configurations you want stored in the history. Toggle this on to return you to the first view or the most recent view configuration when you reach the end of recorded history. Click this button to delete the record of all the panels you have used. Click this button to browse back through the panel layouts. Click this button to browse forward through the panel layouts.
INDEX
Numerics
3D Paint Texture Options Save Scene As Options 167
A
absolute path 170 values 98, 100 actions defined 30 redoing 82 undoing 82 Add Attributes option, Attribute Editor 227 Add Instance option 80 Add to Current Selection brush option 150 Advanced Visualizer file format 174 Affects Active modifier option 326 aiff file format 174 Alias Wire exporting file in 189 aliasWire format 174 Align Objects 144 Align Objects option 142 aligning objects, snapping 142 vertices 141 All Components Off option 147 Angle of view 44 Angular units option 322 anim file exporting 191 importing 179 animated nodes 266, 280 animating rotation channels 94 transitions (of view) 292
animation continuous play option 329 controls 328 curves exporting 191 importing 179 using to create falloff 104 key options 325 menus 20 nodes 68 oscillating 329 playback options 329 preferences button 22 Animation Details Heads Up Display 118 animation markers hiding 122 Animation Start/End option 328 animImportExport plug-in 179, 191 aperture 44 API, version for plug-ins 335 applications, importing files from 175 Apply Current to All option 121 Arc Length Tool 112 arc lengths locators 113 measuring 112 Array Cloning. See Duplicate Options window 74 ASCII file 165 format 174, 175
Attribute Editor 207, 222 arc length locator 113 axis display 87 breaking connections 232 compared to Attribute Spread Sheet 212 custom attributes, adding 227 displaying 222 distance locators 109 linking attributes 232 loading attributes into 225 locators 106 locking attribute values 232 mapping textures to attributes 233 node behavior 230 opening multiple copies 226 parameter locators 111 pivot points 85, 86 right-click menu options 224 rotation order 92 setting keys 231 Attribute Spread Sheet 207, 212 layout 215 names, shortening 213 option 208, 212
ANIMATION
INDEX
attributes adding to Channel Box 238 Attribute Editor 225 Attribute Spread Sheet 212 breakdown keys, setting 245 changing multiple values 214, 241 Channel Box 237 components, displaying in Channel Box 238 compound 253 connections, breaking 232, 246 custom 227 default input and output 285 defined 212 deleting custom 230 displaying 252 editing 82, 212, 288 editing custom 229 editing multiple 208, 212 handles 84 ignoring when rendering 225 keying 216, 231, 244 linking 232, 247 locking values 232, 246 mapping textures to 233 relative values, entering 215, 242 showing for just one view 115 unlocking 232, 247 values 186, 213, 240 audio file format 174 Auto Key animation option 325 button 22 auto load plug-in option 335 Autodesk file format 174 Autom Create Rigid Body dynamics option 323 automatic graph layout 274 automatically created sets 297 auxiliary nodes 262 avi file format 175
axes changing from command line 88 constraint, snapping 141 description 87 displaying 87 global 87 local 87 orientation 94 restricting object movement to 89 rotation order 94 snap 142 Axes option 87 azimuth description 51 Azimuth Elevation Tool 51
Bounding Box Dolly camera setting 50 Bounding Box option 120 branches 265 centering in view 292 breakdown keys, setting 245 breaking parent-child relationship 256, 271
C
caching 230 CAD system file format 174 camera Center of Interest option 45, 58 Camera Aperture 55 Camera Attribute Editor 54 Camera Names 118 Heads Up Display 118 Camera Options 45 Camera Properties attributes 45 Camera Settings option, View menu 53 Camera Tools option, View menu 48 Camera/Light Manipulator option 128, 129
B
Backculling display option 321 Backface Culling option 121, 322 backfaces culling, display 322 displaying and hiding 126 Background Color attribute Environment attributes 57 background image importing to scene hierarchy 274 Backspace key 72 backup copies of marking menus 360 Based on distance option 102, 103, 104 binary file format 174 bitmap images for shelf icons 345 Blend box 235 Bookmark Editor 66 bookmarks 66 adding to shelf 67 automatic view change 293 creating 66, 294 deleting 67, 294 predefined 66 renaming 67, 294 returning to 294 selecting 67 Boomarks option 67 Border Edges option 321 Border Width option 321 borders edges 321
INDEX
cameras 59 aperture 44 azimuth 51 center of interest 51, 128 changing settings 53 clipping planes 128 creating 44 cycling index 128 default display of 250, 264 displaying 48 dollying 50 elevation 51 field chart 53 fill 54 film gate 53 frustrum 53 gate 53 hiding 122 horizontal 54 journal 53 looking through 52 manipulators 97, 122, 128 moving 48 orthographic 59 oversan 54 overview 43 perspective 53 pitch 51 resolution gate 53 revolving 49, 51 rolling 51 safe action 54 safe title 54 tools 49 tracking 49 tumbling (NT) 121 yaw 51 yaw pitch 51 zooming 51 categories of projects 170 Center of interest 45, 58 Center of Interest option 128, 129 Center polygon selection option 327 Center zone marking menu 37 centering nodes in view 291 Change Precision dialog box Component Editor 212
Channel Box 207, 236 adding attributes to 238 attribute components 238 attribute values, entering 240 attributes 237 breakdown keys, setting 245 breaking connections 246 custom attributes, deleting 230 custom attributes, editing 229 displaying 236 Expression Editor, launching 247 format, changing 239 history 247 history node, selecting 96 keys, setting 244 linking attributes 247 locking attribute values 246 manipulators 242 name abbreviations 239 pop-up menus in 243 precision 240 values, entering with mouse 243 Channel Control option 208, 236 channel slider 243 channelBox command 240 channels data file format 175 defined 212 deleting 73 material, overriding 322 Channels delete option 73 Channels option 186 characterPartition 307 Check Box option 357 check boxes in marking menus 357 children 250, 254, 265, 270 breaking relationship 256 Clamped animation option 325 cleaning up referenced files 184 clearing graph display 286 Click Box Size 327 Click Drag Select modifier option 326 Click Here to Test box 358 Clipping Planes option 128 Clone. See Duplicate option 74 Closest Visible Depth Depth Type 56 clusters 298 sets 302
collapsing nodes 251, 266 sets 300 Color Chooser window 233 Color Index Mode option (IRIX) 121 Color Material option 322 Color Shading option 322 color wheel 234 colors changing 330 default, changing 330 selection 233 swapping object 283 value 234 Colors customize UI option 330 Colors window 330 combined transformations 100 command line absolute values 100 axis origin, changing 88 focus, default 317 moving, rotating, or scaling from 100 relative values 100 Command Shell option 208 Command(s) option 357 commands adding to shelf from Script Editor 343 adding to shelves 342 complex models, displaying 120 scenes, display performance 121 Component Editor 209 modifying data 210 option 208 querying data 209 updating data 211 Component selection mode 146 pivot points, pinning 86 components deleting by type 73 editing 209 limiting selection 146, 147 paint-selecting 148 querying data 209 selecting using selection mask 147 selection mode 326 compound attributes 253 Compressed option 324 compression mode 324
INDEX
Cone Angle option 129 configuring workspace 370 connecting default output to input 282 nodes 282 Connection Editor launching from dependency graph 282 option 208 connection lines in dependency graph 278 in scene hierarchy 269 connections breaking 232, 246 creating default 282 direction of 278 displaying 269 constraining rotations 92 constraint axis, snapping along 141 constraints 186 connections, displaying 269 Constraints option 186 construction curve 97 construction history 186 deleting 155 effect on speed 154 manipulators 95 turning off 154 tweaking 154 continuous play option 329 controlling node, attributes connected to 253 coordinates local 43 system 41, 42 world 42 copying files 176, 180 objects 74 shelf items 344 Create Display Layer window 132 Create Empty Group option 80 Create Layer option 132 Create Marking Menu option 352 Create Multiple Objects option 164 Create Partition option 308 Create Quick Select Set 304 Create Reference option 175, 181 Create Render Node window launching 289 Create Set option 303 Create Set Options window 309
creating new materials, textures, or lights 289 new projects 171 projects 169 scene file 161 culling, backface 322 current project, editing 172 Curve Divisions option 321 curve on surface creating 156 snapping to 141 curves arc lengths, measuring 112 constraining on surface 91 construction 97 input 97 interpolated, setting tolerance 323 isoparm, snapping to 141 modification falloff 104 new, display options 321 NURBS 105 on surface, moving 91 on surface, snapping to 139, 141 parameter range 97 parameter values, displaying 110 smoothness, controlling 321 snapping to 139, 140 custom attributes, deleting 230 custom attributes, editing 229 Custom Polygon Display 127 CVs displaying on new curves or surfaces 321 modifying proportionally 101 moving 89 paint-selecting 148 selecting 148, 149 transforming proportionally 101 CVs, hiding 122 Cycling Index option 128, 129
D
DAG nodes, instancing 77 Data Transfer File Locations 170 Decay Regions option 129
default input and output attributes 285 layer 134 nodes, importing 175 Default File Extensions option 186, 191 Default Home option 59 Default In/Out Tangent animation options 325 Default Object manipulator 98 Default Object Manipulator option 98 defaultLayer 300 defaultLightSet 300 defaultObjectSet 300 Deferred References 163 deformers adjusting operation of 297 complex operations, controlling 334 connections, displaying 269 geometry, hiding 123 hiding 122, 124 sets 297, 302 skin 298 deformPartition 307 Degree option 103 Delete All Objects by Type option 74 Delete by Type option 73 Delete Current Layout option 215 Delete key 72 Delete layer 131 Delete Marking Menu option 360 Delete Shelf option 342 deleting by type 73 channels 73 hotkeys 365 icons 354 marking menu items 356 marking menus 360 objects 72 objects by type 74 options, setting 73 plug-ins 337 referenced files 183 shelves 342 Dense Wireframe Acceleration option (NT) 121
INDEX
dependency graph 263 displaying lights 277 displaying textures 277 how to use 276 materials 277 rebuilding 285 shading groups 277 types of nodes 276 understanding the 276 Depth attribute Output Settings attributes 56 depth file description, for cameras 56 Depth Of Field 55 Depth Of Field attribute 55 Depth Type Closest Visible Depth 56 Furthest Visible Depth 56 Output Settings attributes 56 device drivers, plug-ins 334 directories, mapping missing 173 Disable Nodes command 68 disabling Hotbox 35 modules 329 Disk Cache Options Save Scene As Options 167 Display Field Chart attribute 58 Display Film Gate attribute 57 Display Layer Options window 132 display layers 130, 134 attributes 136 default 300 import options 324 index number 324 merge options 137, 324 options 132 selecting all objects in 72 Display Level attribute 160 Display Local Axis option 87 Display menu 115 Display Options attributes cameras 57 display performance 121 improving 120, 126 Display Polygon Count 118 Display Resolution attribute 58 Display Rotate Pivot option 85 Display Safe Action attribute 58 Display Safe Title attribute 58 Display Scale Pivot option 85 Display Time Pop-up Help 317
displaying entire graph in view 291 grid 115 hidden objects 288 horizontal graph 295 objects 115, 120 objects as semi-transparent 120 up and downstream connections 278 vertical graph 295 distance locators 107, 108, 109 locators, specifying translate values 109 measuring 107 point, snapping 108 Distance Cutoff option 102, 103 Distance Tool 107 Dolly Bounding Box camera setting 50 camera settings 50 Local camera setting 50 Snap box dolly to camera settings 50 Surface camera setting 50 Dolly Tool 50 dollying cameras 50 graph view 289 selected region 290 Dont Ignore when Rendering option 225 downstream connections 278 dragging node from Outliner or Multilister 280 to reconnect nodes 284 Drawing Exchange File file format 174 Driven by Anim Curve show option 254 Driven by Expression show option 254 driven keys 232, 247 Duplicate Input Connections option 74 Duplicate option 74 Duplicate Options window 74 Duplicate Upstream Graph option 74 Duplicate with Transform 75 duplicating objects 74 options 74
DXF exporting 189 file format 174 file format, exporting file in 189 dynamics menus 20
E
East zone marking menu 37 echoing last action 82 edges hard, displaying 321 numbering 322 paint-selecting 148, 149 selecting 149 soft 321 Edges display option 321 Edit Bookmarks option 66 Edit Commands tab 339 Edit Layer 131 Edit Marking Menu button 355 Edit Membership Tool 305 Edit menu 69 edit mode 85 moving a pivot point 85 pinning pivot points 86 edit points displaying on new curves or surfaces 321 editing marking menu items 356 editing objects 286 editors 207 Attribute 207 Attribute Spread Sheet 212 Channel Box 236 Color Chooser 233 Component 209 Connection 208 Expression 232, 247 general 207 limiting information displayed in 258 Outliner 249 Performance Settings 333 Plug-in Manager 334 Relationship 207 elevation description, for azimuth elevation tool 51 ellipses (...) in graph 290
INDEX
empty groups 80 nodes 255, 271 Enable Nodes command 68 Environment attributes 57 environment variables setting 195 EPS file import 178 evaluation order, position in Outliner 257 Execute Script Nodes option 163 Expand Popup List modifier option 326 expanding nodes 251, 266 set contents 299 Explore file format 174 ExploreGeo file format 174 Export All option 185 Export Selected As Reference option 181 Export Selection option 182, 186 exporting animation curves 191 DXF 189 files 189 IGES 189 move files 187 obj file format 188 plug-ins 188 referenced files 182 rendering information 186 RenderMan 190 scene contents 185 Expression Editor 207 default, selecting 317 opening from Attribute Editor 232 opening from Channel Box 247 expressions 186 connections, displaying 269 delete options 73 Expressions option 186 Extension Padding option 191 eyedropper tool 234
F
F Stop attribute 56
faces centers, displaying 321 display options 321 normals, displaying 321 numbering 322 paint-selecting 148 selecting 148 falloff curve modification 104 linear modification 102 power modification 103 Proportional Modification tool 102 script modification 103 Far Clip Plane attribute 46 Fast Interaction option 318 Field Chart option 53 file formats avi 175 movie 175 File Type option 163, 167, 177, 186 files absolute paths 170 exporting in IGES, DXF, or Alias Wire 189 for shelf button icons 346 formats 174, 175 importing 175, 180 management 161 Particulars 182 reference options 181 referenced 180, 181, 182, 183, 184 relative paths 170 saving 165 searching for 171 size, reducing 168 translators, plug-ins 334 Fill option 54 Film Aspect Ratio attribute 55 Film Back attributes 55 Film Back Properties attributes 45 Film Gate attribute 55 Film Gate option 53 Film Offset attribute 55 filters 258 moving to shelf 153 Flat animation option 325 Flat Shade options 120 Fly Tool 52 focal length 43 Focus Distance attribute 55 Focus Region Scale attribute 56
focus, command line 317 Force to Add option 309 Frame All option Maya View menu 52 Frame Rate 118 Heads Up Display 118 frame rate, playback 329 Frame Selection 52 Free playback option 329 free-form hierarchy 274, 276 creating 273 Freeze Transformations option 153 Freeze. See Templates option 130 freezing transformations 153 frustrum 53 renderable 53 Furthest Visible Depth Depth Type 56
G
garbage can 344 gate 53 General Preferences option 84 General Editors 207 Attribute Spreadsheet 212 option 208 Performance Settings 333 Plug-in Manager 334 selecting 208 tools settings 332 geo file format 174 geometry file format 174 hiding 122, 123 Geometry Motion Blur option 191 Gimbal manipulator 92 Gimbal rotate mode 93 Gimbal rotation manipulator 94 global axis 87 changing from command line 88 global rotate mode 93 Global Scale manipulator option 319 Graph Editor, limiting information displayed in 258 graphics card, Dense Wireframe Acceleration option 121
INDEX
graphs clearing display 286 dollying view 289 navigation techniques 289 rebuilding 295 tracking 289 turning off updates 293 viewing 289 grid corners, snapping to 139 default 116 displaying 115 hiding 116 options 116 snapping to 139, 140 specifying appearance 116 Grid option 116 Grid Options window 116 ground plane 42 Group option 176 Group option. Hierarchies (3D Studio Max). See Group option 78 Group Options window 78 Group Pivot option 78 Group Under option 78 groups empty 80 imported objects 176 nodes 255, 270 objects 78 options 78 Ungroup options 80
H
Half (12 fps) playback option 329 Handle Size manipulator option 319 handles active 89 active or current 84 attributes 84 color 84 keyframing active 84 manipulator 84 scale manipulator 94 size, specifying 319 sizing 84 hard edges backface culling option 322 displaying 321 Hardware Fog option 121
Hardware Texturing option 121 Heads Up Display changing colors 330 Heads Up Display menu 118 Height animation option 328 help 39 A|W web site 39 browser options 317 popup 39 hidden objects 288 Hide Cloth option 122 Hide Deformers option 122, 124 Hide Geometry option 122, 123 Hide Kinematics option 122, 123 Hide menu 122 Hide Selection option 122 Hide Unselected CVs 122 Hide Unselected Objects 122 hiding animation markers 122 camera manipulators 122 light manipulators 122 objects 122 texture placements 122 Hierarchies (3D Studio Max). See Ungroup option 79 hierarchy 207 centering node in view 292 creating 80 limiting selection to 151 names, prefixing 256 removing objects from 81 terminology 250 Hierarchy List. See Outliner 207 highlighting colors, changing 330 polygons 321 history accessing 95 construction 186 modifying 247 node, selecting 96 History option 186 Hold Focus command line option 317 Horizontal Film Aperture attribute see Camera Aperture attribute Horizontal Film Offset attribute see Film Offset attribute horizontal layout of graph 279, 295 Horizontal option 54
Hotbox 352 appearance, changing 34 disabling 35 displaying 33 hiding menubars 35 making transparent 35 marking menus 352 menus, changing 34 region option 352 Style option 35 style, changing 35 turning off 35 using 33 using marking menu in 36 zones 33, 36 hotkeys assigning 362 customizing 339 deleting 365 marking menus 37, 352, 355 snapping 140 transformations 83 Hotkeys option 35 Hotkeys window 35, 362 categories 365 HSV color model 234 html browser 317 hulls displaying on new curves or surfaces 321 Hypergraph 263 layout, updating 286 limiting information displayed in 258 menu bar 264 opening 263 tool bar 264 using to select a view 52
I
Icon Filename option 357 icon names 349 icons bitmap images 345 changing on shelves 345 deleting from marking menu 354 images on shelves 345 xpm images 345 IGES exporting 189 exporting file in 189 file format 174
INDEX
Ignore Selection Priority modifier option 326 when Rendering option 225 IK Handle Size kinematics option 319 IK handles adding 287 display size, setting 319 hiding 123 selecting 287 Illustrator file import 178 image displaying as background 274 file format 175 icon 345 Image attribute Output Settings 56 Image Plane attribute Environment attributes 57 Import option 175, 176 Import Reference option 181 importing animation curves 179 files 175 by copying 180 by reference 181 merging layers 137 move files 177 plug-in 188 improving speed, Hypergraph 293 In Main Maya Window option 223 In Separate Window option 223 In Tangents, default 325 Include These Inputs option 186 Including Texture Info option 186 information, plug-ins 335 Initial Default option 146 Initial Graphics Exchange Specification format 174 initialParticleSE 300 initialShadingGroup 300 input curve 97 nodes 278 INPUTS 237 instance 76 DAG nodes 77 deleting from hierarchy 81 limitations 76 interactive display 121 Interactive Shading option 121
interface turning elements off or on 37 interpolated curves tolerance, setting 323 intialParticleSE 300 Invert Selection 70 invisible nodes 268 objects 288 Invisible Manips option 242 isoparms curve, snapping to 141
J
jiggle deformer Disk Cache Options 167 Joint Size kinematics option 319 joint1skinPartition 307 joints display size, setting 319 hiding 123 Journal Command attribute 58 Journal option 53
K
Keep Hard Edges option 322 Keep Only a Reference option 186 Keep Original option 97 Keep Wire option 322 Key Selected option 216 Key Ticks option 328 Keyable tab, Attribute Spreadsheet 212 keys attribute, setting 231, 244 creating 216 options 325 snapping option 328 kinematics hiding 122, 123
lattices hiding 124 points, displaying and hiding 126 shape, displaying and hiding 127 Layer Attributes option 136, 138 Layer Editor Add Selected Objects 131 Attributes 131 displaying 131 Membership 131 Remove Objects 131 Remove Selected Object(s) from Layers 132 Select All Unused Layers 132 Select Objects 131 layers assigning objects to 132 attributes 136, 138 creating 132 display and render 130 import options 324 index number 324 merge options 137, 324 moving sets to 298 naming 132 removing objects from 133 renaming 132 selecting all objects in 72 layouts 370 adding to shelf 371 associated with scene 371 Attribute Spread Sheet 215 changes to 374 configuring 371 creating 371 deleting 373 history, maintaining 374 Scene Independent 371 selecting 370 updating graph 286 Layouts option 62 Layouts option, Panels menu 64 leaf, selecting only 151 lens 43 Lens Properties attributes 45
L
Label option 357 Label tab 339 labels icons on shelves 347 Lasso Tool 70, 83
INDEX
level of detail 157 adding a level 159 changing threshold distances 159 creating 157 Display Level attribute 160 orthographic cameras 160 previewing several objects 160 re-ordering levels 159 Threshold attribute 159 light linking Relationship Editor 217 lighting 60 Lighting menu 60 lights barn doors 129 center of interest 129 cone angle 129 cycling index 129 decay regions 129 dependency graph 277 hiding 122 manipulators 97, 128, 129 manipulators, hiding and showing 122 penumbra 129 pivot 129 limiting selection by object type 146 by task 152 object and component 146 to hierarchy items 151 to template objects 151 Line Pick Size manipulator option 319 Line Size manipulator option 319 linear modification falloff 102 Linear animation option 325 Linear units option 322 lines thickness, manipulators 319 live, making objects 156 Load Deferred References, option 163 Load Menus option 360 Loaded plug-in option 335 loading plug-ins 188 referenced files 183 Local Dolly camera setting 50
local axis 87 coordinates 43 rotate mode 93 rotation axes, displaying and hiding 127 space, distance locator 109 space, Move tool 90 Local Space option, pivot points 86 location of projects 170 locators arc length 112 creating 106 distance 107, 109 distance, moving 108 moving 106 parameter values 110 parameter, moving 111 repositioning from Attribute Editor 106 transforming 106 Lock current selection icon 154 Locked Tumble camera setting 49 locking attribute values 232, 246 pivot points 86 transform tool or manipulator 154 LOD 157 lod 157 Long Attribute Names option, Attribute Spreadsheed 213 Look At Selection 52 Look through Barn Doors option 129 Look Through Selected option, Panels menu 52 Looping animation option 329
M
ma file format 174 Make Live option 156 Make New Layers Current 132 managing files 161
manipulators 83 active 89 camera 97 displaying 128 hiding 122 Channel Box 242 color 84 combined Move/Rotate/ Scale 100 default object 98 displaying 128 Gimbal 92, 94 handles 84 displaying and hiding 127 light 97 displaying 128 hiding 122 locking 154 Move curve on surface 91 Move tool 90 pivot point 85 Rotate tool 92 scale tool 94 Show Manipulator tool 95 sizing handles 84 snapping 141 thickness 319 Mapping missing directories 173 marker animation path 92 hiding 122 marking menus backup files for 360 creating 352 customizing 339, 351 default 36 deleting 360 deleting icons from 354 deleting items 356 editing items 356 Hotbox 36, 314 hotkeys 37, 355 MEL scripts on 359 modifying 355 restoring backups of 360 right mouse button 38 submenus, adding 358 using 36 zones 352 Marking Menus window 351 marking views 66 mask description, for cameras 56 Mask attribute Output Settings attributes 56
INDEX
material channels, overriding 322 materials dependency graph 277 Maya A|W web site 39 ASCII file format 174 Binary file format 174 Embedded Language file format 174 projects 169 scene information 170 version and release date 39 MayaToIgesDxf plug-in 188 Measure menu 107 measure tools 107 measuring arc lengths 112 MEL 103 file format 174 plug-ins 334 MEL commands 208 adding to marking menu 357, 359 adding to shelf 343 customizing on shelf 349 scene orientation 42 MEL scripts adding to marking menu 357, 359 adding to shelf 343 customizing on shelf 349 propMod script 103, 105 membership editing 207 Membership option 133 memory, improving use of 168 menu bars hiding 35 Hypergraph 264 Outliner 250 menu options adding to shelves 342 option boxes 30 Menu Set preference 316 menu sets 20 Hotbox 33 menu_ChangePanelLayout.mel 31 4 menu_ChangePanelType.mel 314 menu_ChangeSelectionMask.mel 3 14 menu_CommonModelingPanes.mel 314 menu_ControlPaneVisibility.mel 3 14
menus context sensitive 267 Hotbox 34 option boxes 30 quick access 33 selecting 20 merging display layers 137, 324 microCAD systems file format 174 Minibar 83, 88, 93, 94 adding tool to shelf 342 modeling aids 139 menus 20 models, complex 120 Modifier Stack. See construction history 186 Modifiers (3D Studio Max). See deformers 123 modules disabling 329 options 329 selecting 20 Motion Blur attributes Create Camera Options 47 motion path markers 92 mouse entering values in Channel Box 243 marking menu buttons 38, 352 suspending complex operations during interaction 333 Mouse button(s) option 352 move command 100 move files 175 exporting 187 importing 177 Move manipulator 91 Move Tool 83 Move tool 88, 90, 154 coordinate system 90 motion path markers 92 restricting movement 89 tips 89 Move Up and Down shelf buttons 345 Move/Rotate/Scale tool 100 movement, restricting to one axis 89 moving numeric values 98, 100 selection limitations to shelf 153
N
namespaces 176 native ASCII file format 174 binary file format 174 Near Clip Plane attribute 46 New Curves option 321 New Layer button 132 new scene configuration Starting New Scenes Preferences 317 New Surfaces option 321 next view 293 No Gate option 53 No Manips option 242 node state 230 nodes 250, 265 animated 266, 280 attribute names in dependency graph 278, 279 behavior, changing 230 child 250, 254, 265, 270 collapsing 251, 266 connecting 282 containing param curves 266, 280 controlling 253 DAG 77 default 175 displaying underworld 268 dragging from Outliiner or Multilister 280 dragging to reconnect 284 empty group 255, 271 enabling and disabling 68 expanding 251, 266 framing in Hypergraph view 291 group 255, 270 history, selecting 96 input 278 invisible 267, 268 moving relative position 272 output 278 parent 250, 254, 265, 270 plug-ins 334 renaming 256, 287 reordering in outliner 257 selecting 256, 286 shape 251, 252, 266, 268 slanted boxes 266, 280 subnodes 265, 266 transform 250, 266 types 254
INDEX
nonlinears, hiding 124 non-sacred tool 22 normal layer 134 Normal (24 fps) playback option 329 normals size on polygons 322 North zone, marking menu 36 numbering edges 322 faces 322 vertices 322 numeric input field 28 moving, rotating, or scaling from 98 numeric values absolute and relative 98 NURBS components, displaying and hiding 127 curves using to create falloff 105 curves, hiding 123 display options 321 smoothness 127 surfaces, hiding 123
O
obj file format 174 exporting to 165, 166, 188 Object Components option 126 Object Details 118 Heads Up Display 118 Object selection mode 146 objectName 237
objects assigning to layers 132 attributes 82, 288 components, displaying and hiding 126 deleting 72 displaying 115, 120 duplicating 74 editing 69, 286 editing attributes of 288 file format 174 grouping 78, 176 hiding 122, 288 invisible 288 limiting selection 146 live 156 moving 88, 100 parenting 80, 254 plug-ins 334 removing from hierarchy 81 removing from layers 133 rotating 92 scaling 94 selecting 69, 286 selection mode 326 priorities 153 shape, changing 89 showing for just one view 115 smoothness, controlling 321 snapping to grid, curve, point, or view plane 140 space coordinate system, Move tool 90 templates 130, 151 transforming 83 ungrouping 79 unparenting 81 untemplating 130 objExport plug-in 188 On File Save compression option 324 Open Scene option 162 opening Expression Editor 232, 247 scene file 161 scene files 162 operations, complex, supsending 333 Optimize Scene Size option 168 Optimize Scene Size Options window 168 optimizing scene size 168 Option Box Command(s) option 357
option boxes 30 options 102 Orbit Camera. See Tumble Tool 49 order rotation 92 rotation channels 94 orientation, changing 42 origin setting transformations to 153 Origin Axis 118 Heads Up Display 118 Origin option 87 Ortho step Tumble camera setting 49 Orthographic Camera 47 orthographic camera width of 48 Orthographic option, Panels menu 59 orthographic view 43 creating 59 Orthographic views camera settings 49 Orthographic Views attributes Attribute Editor, cameras 58 Orthographic Width 48 Oscillate animation option 329 Out Tangents, default 325 Outliner 207, 249 attributes, displaying in 252 limiting information displayed in 258 menu bar 250 navigating 251 nodes displaying in 254 renaming 256 reordering 257 selecting 256 opening 249 panel 249 output nodes 278 Output Settings attributes 56 OUTPUTS 237 overlapping set members, preventing 306 Overlay Label tab 339 Overscan camera attribute 53 Overscan option 54
INDEX
P
packages disabling 329 options 329 Paint Selection Tool 148 paint operations 149 settings 149 Paint Set Membership Tool, editing sets 305 paint-selecting components 148 palette in Color Chooser 235 paletteColors.mel 314 Panel Configurations 168 Panel Editor 367 Panel option 61 panels 368 arrangements, saving 370 arranging 371 creating 368 deleting 370 layouts, selecting 370 managing 368 renaming 368 Panels menu 61 panes, resizing 371 param curves 266, 280 parameter locators, editing 111 range, changing 97 values, displaying 110 Parameter Tool 110 Parent option 80 Parent Options window 80 Parent to World option 81 parents 250, 254, 265, 270 breaking relationship 256, 271 creating 255, 271 object hierachies 255 object hierarchies 80 removing object from 81 Partial curve range option 97 partitions 306 adding sets to 309 created by Maya 307 created by you 306 creating 308 default 307 defined 306 displaying 308 removing 308 sets, removing from 308
path absolute 170 animation marker, moving 92 plug-ins 335 Penumbra option 129 performance improvements 168 Performance Settings 333 window 333 performance, improving 121, 126, 230, 318, 333 perspective 44, 59 creating view 59 view 58 Perspective option 52, 53, 58 perspective view 43 pick mask 146 pinning pivot points 86 pitch 51 Pivot camera option 128 Pivot light option 129 pivot points 86 defined 84 displaying 85, 127 displaying and hiding 127 manipulator 85 moving 85 pinning 86 temporary 86 unpinning or unlocking 87 World Space 86 Pixel Samples option 191 placements, texture 122 planes hiding 122 view 139 playback buttons 22 frame rate, setting 329 range, setting 328 Playback Range 22 Playback Speed option 329 Playback Start/End options 328
plug-ins API version 335 auto loading 335 features 335 importing 188 information about 335 loading 334 manager 334 MayaToIges 188 objExport 188 path 335 references, removing 337 unloading 336 version 335 point snap hotkey 140 Point to Point option 142 points cluster 302 measuring distance between 107 snapping 139, 142 snapping to 140 Points option 120 Poly Count Heads Up Display 118 polygon count 118 Polygons components, displaying and hiding 127 polygons border width 321 display options 321 displaying as triangles 321 faces, displaying 321 normal size, specifying 322 numbering faces, edges, or vertices 322 surfaces, hiding 123 texture border, thickening display 321 Pop HotBox hotkey 35 popup help 39 popup menu Channel Box 243 Popup Menu Selection modifier option 326 Popup Submenu option 358 Positional tolerance option 323 power modification falloff 103 PowerAnimator file formant 174 Predefined Bookmarks option 66 pre-defined tabs, Attribute Spreadsheet 216
INDEX
preferences files 314 saving using userSetup.mel 315 setting 313 stored location 314 Prefix with option 186 Preserve Position option 78, 80, 81 PreView file format 175 Previous State Size manipulator option 319 Previous View option 59 previous view, returning to 293 priority for object selection 153 priority preference 327 projects categories and locations 170 creating new 171 definition of 169 directories 169 editing 172 setting 172 propmod 101 propMod script 103, 105 Proportional Modification tool 101, 102 proportional scaling 94 proportional transformations 101 falloff 102
Q
quality shading 120 querying component data 209 Queue option 329 Queue Size option 82, 329 Quick Layout buttons 61 Quick Select Set option 304
R
Radio Button option 357 radio buttons in marking menus 357 RAM, freeing 329 Range Slider options 328 range, parameter 97 rebuilding graph 285, 295
Recent Commands option 34 Recent Files 162 Redo option 82 redoing actions 82 redraw options 333 reference layers 134 Reference Editor 181, 183 Reference option 181 referenced files 180, 181 cleaning up 184 exporting 182, 185 importing 182, 185 loading/unloading 183 removing 183 replacing 184 selecting objects from 183 references deferred 163 plug-in 337 refresh options 333 Region of Affect 318, 319 region, dollying 290 Relationship Editor 207, 217 creating relationships 220 editing sets 305 limiting display 219 limiting information displayed in 258 objects, displaying 218 opening 217, 298 relationships, displaying 218 sets 303 view options, setting 218 Relationship Editors option 298 relationships 221 adding members 221 creating 220 displaying 218 editing 217 removing members 221 selecting members 221 relative paths of files 170 relative values command line 100 entering 99, 215, 242 release date 39 Remember this Layout option 215 Remove Instance option 81 Remove Reference option 181 removing referenced files 183
renaming layers 132 nodes 256, 287 Render File Locations 170 render layers 130, 137 renderable layers 137 Renderable attribute 56 rendering exporting information 186 menus 20 resolution 53 renderlayers attributes 138 RenderMan exporting 190 format 174 renderPartition 307 reorder shelves 345 reordering nodes in Outliner 257 shelves 345 Repeat on Hold sound option 327 Repeat Size sound option 327 repeating actions 82 replacing referenced files 184 resetting transformations 153 Resolution Gate option 53 resolution, wireframe 318 Resolve Name Clashes with option 176 restoring backup marking menus 360 reversing actions 82 revolve history node 96 revolving cameras 49 RGB color model 234 RIB file format 174 ribExport plug-in 190 right mouse button, marking menus 38 Roll Scale setting 51 Roll Tool 51 rolling cameras 51 root, selecting only 151
INDEX
rotate axis 94 channels, animating 94 command 100 modes 93 numeric values 98, 100 objects 92 order 92, 94 pivot points, displaying 127 Rotate Tool 83 Rotate tool 92, 154 Rotation type setting 51 Run Up From dynamics option 323 Run Up To Current Time dynamics option 323
S
Safe Action option 54 Safe Title option 54 Save All Shelves button 339 Save Panel Layouts with File option 168 Saved Layouts selecting 370 saving Attribute Spread Sheet layouts 215 files 165 scene information 170 scale command 100 numeric values 98, 100 objects 94 pivot points 127 proportionally 94 Scale setting 50, 51 Scale Tool 83 Scale tool 94, 154 manipulator 94 scene file creating 161 opening 161 Scene File Locations 170
scene hierarchy 266 automatic layout 274 creating free-form 273 defined 263 displaying background image 274 displaying special nodes and connections 268 parenting 270 rearranging nodes 272 terminology 250, 265 Scene Independent layouts 371 scenes display performance 121 exporting 185 hierarchy 207 importing 175 lighting 60 opening 162 optimizing size 168 referencing 180 saved information 170 too big to fit window 368 Schematic window. See Hypergraph 263 screen refresh options 333 Script Editor option 208 Script Editor, adding command to shelf 343 Script Nodes 163 scripts 208 customizing on shelf 349 modification falloff 103 on marking menus 357, 359 propMod 103, 105 sculpt objects, hiding 124 searching for files 171 Select All button 150 Select All by Type option 71 Select All History option 96 Select All option 70 Select Hierarchy and Combinations icon 151 Select paint operation 149 Select Reference Contents option 181 Select Tool 83
selecting 221 all objects 70 components 147, 148 CVs 148, 149 edges 148, 149 faces 148, 149 IK handles 287 inverting a selection 70 Lasso Tool 70 multiple objects 70 multiple text boxes 214, 241 nodes in Outliner 256 objects 69, 286, 297 objects by name 72 objects by type 71 objects in a set 72 objects individually 69 template objects 151 vertices 148, 149 selection handles, displaying 127 limiiting by object type 146 limiting by component 147 limiting by task 152 masks 37, 146 priority 153, 327 Selection Mask options window 89 Set Driven Key option 232, 247 Set Project option 172
INDEX
sets addiing to partitions 309 adding members 305 automatically created 297 cluster 298 collapsing 300 created by Maya 300 by you 299 creating 303 creating for easy object selection 304 default naming of 299 defaultLayer 300 defaultLightSet 300 defaultObjectSet 300 defined 297 deformer 297, 302 displaying in Relationship Editor 305 editing 217 expanding a sets contents 299 explained 298 indentation 300 initialShadingGroup 300 intialParticleSE 300 member weights 298 membership, editing 305 overlapping members, preventing 306 quick select 304 removing 304 from partition 308 members 305 selecting 304 contents only 300 quickly 304 shading group 300 simplifying selection with 297 skin point 298, 302 user-created 297, 298 uses 297 setting key attributes 231 performance 333 project 172 Shade options 120 Shaded Divisions option 321 shaded objects smoothness, controlling 321 wireframe on 318 shading applying to all objects 121 interactive 121 quality 120
shading groups changing selected 284 display example 277 displaying in dependency graph 277 sets 300 sets Maya creates 300 Shading menu 120 shape nodes 251, 266 displaying 268 displaying in Outliner 252 SHAPES section 237 Shelf Contents tab 339 shelves bookmarks, adding 67 commands, adding to 343 copying items 344 creating 339, 341 customizing 339 deleting 342 editing 339 icons, changing 345 items, adding to 342 layouts adding to 371 MEL commands, customizing 349 moving filters to 153 moving items between 344 options 348 removing items from 344 renaming 345 reordering 345 reordering items on 344 using 21 Shelves tab 339 Shelves window, opening 339 Short Attribute Names option, Attribute Spreadsheet 213 Show All Panes option 64 Show Auxiliary Nodes 262 Show Manipulator Tool 83 Show Manipulator tool 95, 154 default manipulator 98 history node 96 lights and cameras 97 Show menu 115, 258 Show Only Viewing Panes option 64 Show Selected Columns Only option 215 Show Text box 258 Shutter Angle description, for cameras 47 Shutter Angle attribute 57
shutters on spotlight 129 Single File Output option 191 Single Marquee Select modifier option 326 size handles 319 IK handle 319 joints 319 manipulators 319 scene, optimizing 168 skin points sets 298, 302 slanted boxes 266, 280 Smart Transform option 74 Smooth Shade options 120 smooth skin influences hiding 124 smoothness setting 321 Snap to Curves option 139 to Grids option 139 to Points option 139 to View Planes option 139 Snap Align Objects option 142, 144 snap axis 142 Snap box dolly to camera settings 50 Snap to curves icon for distance measure 108 Snap Tolerance 327 snapping 139 aligning objects 142 along a constraint axis 141 animation option 328 distance measure point 108 hotkeys 140 icons 139 to a curve on surface 141 to a curve or curve on surface 139 to a point 139 to a view plane 139 to an isoparm curve 141 to grid corners 139 soft edges backface culling 322 displaying 321 sound 164 animation options 327 File Offset option 164 repeating on hold 327 sound synching 328
INDEX
South zone marking menu 37 space bar 33 Special Effects attributes cameras 57 Specify Selected Lights option 61 speed of Hypergraph, mproving 293 Spline animation option 325 spread sheet, attribute 207 Spreadsheet window. See Attribute Spread Sheet 212 Standard Manips option 242 Static Channels, delete options 73 Status Line 20 Stepped Tumble camera setting 49 Stepped animaton option 325 subCurve 97 Subdivision Surface Smoothness 127 Subdivision Surfaces components, displaying and hiding 127 Submenu Editor 358 submenus, adding to marking menus 358 subnodes 265, 266 Sudivision surfaces, hiding 123 Surface Dolly camera setting 50 Surface Divisions option 321 surface history 95 surfaces arc lengths, measuring 112 complex operations, controlling 333 making live 156 moving curves on 91 new, display options 321 parameter values, displaying 110 smoothness, controlling 321 suspending complex operations 333
T
tabs pre-defined, Attribute Spreadsheet 216 Tangential tolerance option 323
tangents, weighted 325 Tape. See Measure menu 107 task, limiting selection to 152 Tear Off Copy option, Panels menu 62 Tear Off option, Panels menu 62 template layer 134 template objects creating 130 limiting selection to 151 returning to standard display 130 untemplating 130 Templates option 130 text boxes selecting multiple 214, 241 texture border thickening display 321 Texture Border option 321 Texture Placements option 122 textures displaying in dependency graph 277 graph display example 284 mapping to attributes 233 Three Points to Three Points option 142 Threshold Output Settings attribute 57 Threshold attribute 159 TIFF file format 175 time ranges, setting 328 Time Slider 22 time slider height, adjusting 328 key ticks option 328 options 328 time to video standard timecode, default 328 Time units option 322 Timecode animation option 328 Timecode Offset option 328 timecodes matching timing from videotape 328 Toggle All button 150 Toggle paint operation 149 toggling CV selection 149 edge selection 149 face selection 149 vertices selection 149
tool bar, Hypergraph 264 Tool Box 21, 31 tool settings 332 Tool Settings option 332 Tool Settings window 90 tools 83 adding to shelf 342 adding to shelves 342 camera 49 defined 30 dragging to shelf 339 duplicating on shelf 344 Minibar 83 plug-ins 334 setting options 332 tooltips 39 Track Geometry setting 50 Track Scale setting 50 Track Tool 49 tracking cameras 49 graph view 289 transferring objects to layers 132 transformations combining 100 freezing and resetting 153 Move/Rotate/Scale tool 100 nodes 250, 266 pivot points 84 rotate attributes 94 tools, locking 154 using Numeric Input field 99 transforming objects from command line 100 Move tool 88 moving tips 89 restricting movement 89 rotation 92 transition speed, changing 292 Transparency Based depth Output Settings attributes, for cameras 57 triad option 90 triangles, displaying polygons as 321 Truck Camera. See Track Tool 49 Try to Add option 309
INDEX
Tumble Locked camera setting 49 Ortho step camera setting 49 Orthographic views camera settings 49 Stepped camera setting 49 Tumble camera about camera settings 49 Tumble pivot camera setting 49 Tumble scale camera setting 49 Tumble camera about camera settings 49 Tumble pivot Tumble camera setting 49 Tumble Pivot attribute 58 Tumble Tool 49 tweaking construction history 154 Twice (48 fps) playback option 329 Two Points to To Points option 142 Two Sided Lighting option 60 type deleting object components by 73 deleting objects by 74 selecting by 71
U
UI elements displaying 19 hiding 19 Uncompressed option 324 underworld nodes, displaying 268 undo actions 82 setting number of 329 Undo option 82, 329 Ungroup option 79 Ungroup Options window 80 ungrouping objects 79 Units options 322 units preferences 322 unloading plug-ins 336 referenced files 183 unlocking attributes 232, 247 pivot points 87 tools 154 Unmap Key button 35 unparenting objects 81
unpinning pivot points 87 Unselect All button 150 Unselect brush option 149 unselected objects, hiding 122 unselecting CVs 148, 149 edges 148 faces 148 vertices 148, 149 untemplate 130 Up Axis coordinate system option 322 up axis, changing 42 update options, Hypergraph 292 Update View animation option 329 upstream and downstream connections 278 Use All Lights option 60 Use Current Layer 133 Use Current Layer option 133 Use Default Lighting option 60 Use Marking Menu in option 352 Use Namespaces option 176, 186 Use Previously Specified Lights option 60 Use Selected Lights option 60 Use Verbose Names option 163, 167 Use Verbose Names options 186 User defined anim curve option 104 User defined script option 103, 104 user interface file, turning off creation 168 preferences files 314 userColors.mel 314 user-created sets 297, 298 userHotkeys.mel 314 userNamedCommands.mel 314 userPrefs.mel 314 userRGBColors.mel 314 userSetup.mel 315 UV linking Relationship Editor 217 Update 90
version and release date 39 vertex normals, displaying 321 Vertical Film Aperture attribute see Camera Aperture attribute Vertical Film Offset attribute see Film Offset attribute vertical layout of graph 279, 295 Vertical option 54 vertices 149 aligning 141 display options 321 numbering 322 paint-selecting 148 selecting 148, 149 Vertices option 321 view centering branch 292 centering node hierarchy 292 centering nodes 291 changing transistion speed 292 dollying graph 289 history 293 next 293 returning to prior 293 tracking graph 289 View Arrangement option, Window menu 64 View Axis 118 Heads Up Display 118 view menu bars, hiding 35 view planes, snapping to 139, 140 views arranging 61 changing in current panel 37 displaying 64 laying out 64 marking 66 saving in layouts 371 selecting with Hypergraph 52 switching between 37
W
walk throughs 52 WAVE file format 174 Waveform Display sound option 327 waveform, displaying 327 Wavefront, exporting to 188 web site 39 Weighted Tangents key option 325 weights, set member 298
V
values absolute 100 numeric, entering 98 relative 100
INDEX
West zone marking menu 37 When Opening option Preferences 317 When Saving option Preferences 317 white boxes in dependency graph 278, 279 Whole Face polygon selection option 327 Window Options option, Hotbox 35 Window Selection help browser option 317 Window Visibility help browser option 317 windowPrefs.mel 314 windows changing layout 36 wire file format 174 wireframe backface culling 322 change color 119 change color to default 119 displaying 120 displaying on shaded objects 318 option 120 resolution 318 shade option 120 Wireframe Color Display menu 119 Wireframe Colors changing palette 119 Wireframe on Shaded option 318 working units options 322 World Coordinate System option 42 world space 42 Move tool 90 World Space option 86 wrap influences, hiding 124
Yaw Pitch Tool 51 yellow nodes 287 Y-up orientation 41
Z
zones Hotbox 33 marking menu 352 marking menu defaults 36 Zoom Scale setting 51 Zoom Tool 51 zooming cameras 51 Z-up orientation 42
X
xpm images for shelf icons 345 X-ray shade option 120 XYZ coordinate system 41
Y
yaw 51

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USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS

ALIAS|WAVEFRONT I 210 KING STREET EAST I TORONTO, CANADA M5A 1J7

Running prior versions of Maya

Main window and floating windows Maya workspace 24 26 26 27 28 29 30

Changing the appearance and contents of the Hotbox

VIEWING YOUR SCENE

Changing the orientation/up axis 42 43 43 44

Creating a new camera

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 3

Setting Camera options Moving the camera Camera tools 49 48

Creating new perspective views Setting an orthographic view 59

Creating new orthographic views Lighting your scene Arranging views 61 64 64 60

Creating a bookmark Renaming a bookmark

Selecting multiple objects in a scene Selecting all objects in a scene

Selecting all objects in a display layer Deleting objects 72 72

Deleting object components by type 74 74

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 4

Redoing and repeating actions Editing object attributes 82 83 83

Selecting Transformation Tools Using manipulators 83

Using the Show Manipulator Tool Selecting an items history node

Displaying manipulators for lights and cameras

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 5

101 102 105

Specifying proportional modification falloff

Using distance measures Displaying parameter values Measuring arc lengths

Displaying items in Maya Using a grid 115

119 120 122 123 123 124 125

128 128 129

Using the Layer Editor Assigning objects to layers

Deleting layers Editing layers

139 139 139 140 141 141

Snapping icons Snapping hotkeys

Snapping to a curve on surface or isoparm curve

146 147 151 151 153

Changing the Threshold distances

MANAGING FILES AND PROJECTS

Setting Open options Saving files 165

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 7

Mapping from UNIX to Windows

Using default nodes Importing files by copying Importing move files

Exporting to Wavefront (OBJ) Exporting to RenderMan Exporting animation curves

Exporting to IGES, DXF, and Alias Wire

SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

Standard Maya environment variables

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 8

Displaying relationships and objects 220

Displaying the Attribute Editor

Viewing attributes for different objects at the same time

Setting keys for attributes in the Attribute Editor

Launching the Expression Editor

Adding attributes to the Channel Box 238 239 240

244 245 246 246 247 USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 9

Setting breakdown keys for attributes from the Channel Box

Launching the Expression Editor from the Channel Box

Displaying specific types of nodes Selecting and renaming objects

Controlling display of auxiliary nodes

USING THE HYPERGRAPH

263 263 265

Expanding scene hierarchy nodes Parenting objects 270

Displaying render node connections

USING MAYA: ESSENTIALS 10

Selecting objects Renaming an object

Centering a hierarchy branch in the window